Gov. Ortom sends message to Igbos, others in Benue on security

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.