Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue state said herdsmen shot at him while he was in his farm located along Makurdi – Naka road in Makurdi, Benue state capital.
Speaking with journalists during an interactive session in Makurdi on Monday, January 27, 2020, Ortom reiterated his call for arrest and prosecution of Meyitta Allah for instigating violence against farmers in Benue state.
“I went my farm last week and the herdsmen who were coming back to Benue state in their numbers shot at me, ” Ortom stated.
He said it took the intervention of men of Operation Whirl stroke who came to his rescue before the herdsmen took to their heels.
Ortom expressed concerns that herdsmen are allowed to carry sophisticated weapons more than security agencies while farmers are arrested for holding cutlasses in the farm.
According to the Governor, herdsmen are not coming for grazing but for interiors, declaring he was ready to defend the interest of his people.
He said Nigeria is no longer in the 50s and 60s when cows were grazing for free.
“Anti- open grazing prohibition law is still in force and anyone who wants to do business of animal husbandry must embrace ranching,” the Governor declared.
He stated that the ranching law is not against anyone but aimed at protecting farmers and herdsmen.
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