Benue killings: Nasarawa does not harbour killer herdsmen - Al-Makura insists

macfranc007 February 26, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Nurudeen Lawal

- Nasarawa state governor said the state did not harbour killer herdsmen as alleged by Governor Ortom of Benue

- He said the allegations that herdsmen met in Nasarawa before attacking Benue were not true and unfair

- He appealed to the federal government to train more personnel in order to ensure that the country is effectively secured

The Nasarawa state government has reacted to the allegations levelled against it by the Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom stating that herdsmen meet in the state (Nasarawa) before launching attacks in Benue.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Question Time on Sunday, February 25, Governor Tanko Al-Makura described the allegations as very unfair.

He said: “It is not true at all, there is none that I know of any kind of bandits or militants lurking anywhere in Nasarawa State with the intention of attacking Benue or any other state.”

Recall that last month, Benue state government held a mass burial of over 70 victims of the herdsmen attacks that were killed in the state in the early hours of the New Year.

Following the attacks, Governor Ortom said that information at his disposal indicated that the herdsmen allegedly met in Nasarawa before inflicting mayhem in his state.

Governor Al-Makura, however, insisted that the allegations were untrue deny, insisting that security reports do not in any way suggest the existence of herdsmen attackers wanting to inflict harm on Benue state met in Nasarawa.

He added: “One thing I can say categorically is that I have never had any report by administrative officers in Tunga and Awe, neither have I got any security report by security operatives, the presence of any kind of bandits staying anywhere in that area.”

Regretting the inability of security operatives to effectively contain the crisis, Al-Makura said that more personnel should be trained in order to effectively secure the territorial zones of the country.

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He also appealed for more military presence, especially in areas that are challenging for the police officers, so as to forestall a reoccurrence of such ugly incidence.

NAIJ.com previously reported that Ibrahim Idris, the inspector general of police, stated that the Nigeria Police Force would use the radio and television stations it intends to launch to tackle the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the country.

Idris made his comment during the inauguration of the 16-member board of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service (NPBS) in Abuja, the nations’ capital.

The IGP disclosed that the communication outfits will also include an online platform and Police Emergency Command and Control Communication Center when it becomes operational.

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