Gov. Ortom sends message to Igbos, others in Benue on security
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/10/gov-ortom-sends-message-to-igbos-others.html
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has reassured the Igbo community
and other Nigerians doing business in the state that the current massive
onslaught against criminals is yielding results and cases of kidnapping
will soon become a thing of history.
The Governor said that the combined forces of the army, police and
other security agencies have intensified operations particularly in
crime flashpoints and huge success is being recorded.
Ortom in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, said
the recent crackdown on kidnappers’ hideouts at Gbatse in Ushongo Local
Government Area where the kingpin and his gang were apprehended was a
result of the collaboration between his administration and security
operatives.
He encouraged representatives of Ndi Igbo in the State to attend the
meeting with suggestions on ways of deepening the current security
strategies as they affect their members.
He, however, described as misleading, the statement published in some
national dailies by the International Society for Civil Liberties and
Rule of Law which claimed that Igbos in Benue State are targets of
“coordinated attacks and threats of annihilation”.
The Governor stressed that armed robbers and kidnappers do not
recognize ethnicity. They target any individual or group for ransom and
other forms of extortion. In Benue, like any other state, people of
different ethnic groups have fallen victim to kidnappers.
He re-emphasized the resolve of his administration to sustain the
fight against criminal elements and urged the people of the state to go
about their normal businesses.
“To address the security concerns the Igbo community in Benue State
recently raised, Governor Ortom will soon meet with the leadership and
other stakeholders of the group.
“What government and security agencies require from all stakeholders
is support through intelligence gathering to enable them to guarantee
the safety of lives and property,” the statement added.