ABUJA/Nigeria: The Integrity Youth Alliance has condemned in totality the statement credited to the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom on Saturday accusing the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K-Idris, of being an accomplice to the recent attacks by suspected herdsmen on Benue residents.
In a press release on Sunday in Makurdi, Benue State by the National Coordinator of Integrity Youth Alliance, Kelvin Adegbenga, he said IGP Ibrahim K. Idris is right to have called for the suspension of Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law.
“The Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of Benue State escalated the killings because of the armed militia groups the Governor set up and called “Forest Guards”. Our investigation shows that the so called Guards were taking laws into their own hand, Adegbenga said.
He further reiterated that the “Forest Guards” were armed with AK 47 without the permission of the Nigeria Police Force who is authorized to issues licenses to Guns in Nigeria.
“We are fully behind the Inspector General of Police suggestion that laws against open-grazing should only be imposed when ranches have been created for the grooming of livestock. Governor Samuel Ortom has not created an alternative to the herdsmen where to feed their livestock, before enacting the open-grazing law, so where did he expect the livestock to feed from, Adegbenga asked.
“It is on record that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Kpotun-Idris spent 8 days in Benue state where he visited and held consultations with affected communities, it is unfortunate that a so called Governor’s spokesperson could lie openly that IGP Ibrahim Kpotun-Idris “only spent one day in Benue, contrary to President Muhammadu Buhari’s order that he should relocate to the state”.
“The same Governor Samuel Ortom had initially told the media that it was not necessary for IGP Ibrahim Kpotun-Idris to relocate to Benue State since a Deputy Inspector General in person of DIG Joshak Habila is on the ground to coordinate the police activities across the state, the statement concluded.
