The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has told the Senate and Nigerians to blame President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo for killings and destruction of properties by Fulani herders in the state.
Ortom said this at a meeting with the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Security, which is in the state on a fact-finding mission on the attacks.
The governor accused Muhammadu Buhari, Vice -President Yemi Osinbajo; the National Security Adviser, Maj.- Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.); and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris of ignoring several warnings on the impending attack on communities in Benue.
The governor informed the lawmakers that upon getting information of the planned attacks, he immediately wrote a letter to Osinbajo, who was the Acting President, while Buhari was on medical vacation in London.
Ortom said all efforts made to get the vice-president ’s attention through the letter failed as he got no reply from Osinbajo.
Ortom said he also wrote letters to Buhari after his return to Nigeria but got no response from him.
He said out of desperation, the Benue State Government went further to draw the attention of Monguno in a separate letter addressed to the NSA, but still got no communication from him.
His words, “We wrote to the vice – president on the planned attacks on parts of Benue by Fulani herdsmen, because the threat was everywhere on the streets, but he refused to reply.
“However, when Mr. President returned from the United Kingdom, I intimated him through a letter. The documents are here.
“I wrote to him on the planned attack by Fulani herdsmen because the threats were on the streets.
“On October 7 , 2017, I wrote to the Inspector-General of Police; I told him of a planned attack on our people but there was no response (from the Presidency).
“On October 27 , 2017, I reminded him that these people were planning to attack us, that we are law- abiding, we have disarmed our youths and we are looking unto security agencies, and that the way to do it was to arrest those people who were inciting the herdsmen to combat us, and we knew they were going to come.
“I also wrote the Senate President (Bukola Saraki), and the Speaker (House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara) on October 7. I also wrote the National Security Adviser and the Director- General of the Department of State Services to intimate them on the planned attacks. When there was no action, I followed it up with a reminder on October 27 , 2017.
“This is very sad. I know those people who are responsible for the killings. I accused them and I have evidences against them.
“If I had bought guns and gave to my people, would they have been killed in the manner they were killed? I disarmed my people. I’ve not bought a single gun, I’m a Christian. If I bought, I would say so.”
