By our reporter
Immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, in his crosshairs over the roiling insecurity in the North-Central State, asking him to be alive to his responsibilities of securing the lives and properties of people of the state rather than allegedly playing politics with same.
Alia belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Ortom,who completed his second term in office on May 29,2023, is of the now-opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement today, Ortom warned Gov. Alia to stop using him (Ortom) as a scapegoat for the persistent insecurity and humanitarian crises in the state, stressing that obsession with his name will not end the killings.
Recall that scores of people have been killed by armed herdsmen in the state recently, many more injured, with properties running into huge fortunes destroyed by the herdsmen.
The latest episode of the carnage was last weekend’s gruesome killings in Yelwata, Gumi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state where over 200 persons were murdered in one night.
The Yelwata massacre attracted international and local angst and prompted President Bola Tinubu to visit the state, hold a stakeholders’ meeting and issue a roadmap to both the governor and security chiefs to terminate the seeming unrelenting blood flow in the state.
In the statement issued on his behalf by his former Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Terver Akase, Ortom expressed disappointment that the Alia government preferred to deflect from its responsibilities by blaming past leadership for the insecurity in the state.
Reacting to Alia’s recent comments that under his immediate predecessor’s administration, the state had recorded over four million internally displaced persons (IDPs), Ortom kicked against it, describing the claim as false and diversionary.
Alia, who made the claim in a statement signed by his CPS, Tersoo Kula, had stated thus: “Under Ortom’s watch, Benue State recorded the highest number of IDPs in its history, with over four million people displaced from their ancestral homes.
“This figure underscores the failure of reactive rhetoric without strategic support for security architecture.”
Firing back, Ortom demanded accountability from the governor, saying his priorities were questionable.
According to him, the hand pover notes to Gov. Alia, which he claimed the governor accepted, showed the accurate figure of 1.4 million and not four million.
Ortom’s statement read,in part: “At no time did Chief Ortom claim there were four million IDPs. The administration worked with reputable humanitarian agencies to generate accurate, verifiable data.
“The 1.5 million figure was officially documented and is the same figure Governor Alia inherited, accepted, and presented to partners,” he stated.
The statement fingered the Alia government for consistently turning every issue to opportunity to rain attacks on Ortom.
It read: “From the day he assumed office, Governor Alia and his aides have made it their mission to drag Ortom’s name into every matter, whether relevant or not. This obsession won’t solve the crisis in the state.”
Dwelling on the state government’s handling of the recent protest by IDPs at the Makurdi International Market camp, where the displaced persons cried out over alleged abandonment, Ortom stated:”While IDPs were protesting hunger and neglect, the Executive Secretary of SEMA was seen attending a lavish wedding in the United Kingdom. We expected a press release that would address that shameful insensitivity. Instead, what we got was yet another attack on Ortom.”
Calling for serious-minded, focused governance, the former governor urged Gov. Alia to execute the security measures outlined by President Tinubu during his visit, stressing that there should be no further excuses.
“Mr. President gave practical steps to address insecurity in Benue. Rather than act, Governor Alia keeps spinning excuses — one day blaming foreign mercenaries, the next day it’s ‘Abuja politicians,’ and now even religious leaders,” Ortom stated.
