Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has attributed the recent attacks and killing of innocent farmers to the rustling of cattle by the Livestock and Community Volunteer guards in the name of enforcing the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017.
The state chairman of the party Comrade Austin Agada who made the accusation while briefing journalists in Makurdi, the Benue State capital on the renewed killing of innocent farmers in the state lamented that the situation is capable of truncating the efforts of INEC to give Nigerians and indeed Benue a credible election.
But in a swift reaction, the special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, Terver Akase asked the APC to direct their frustration to appropriate quarters and not on Governor Ortom.
He said the timing of the APC’s press conference coming barely 24 hours after the Appeal Court judgement which nullified their phony governorship primary election, was calculated to divert attention from the devastating situation.
“Ortom did not advise them to conduct what their appeal panel described as yahoo yahoo primary election,” he said.
Akase at a media briefing in Makudi said, “With this kind of grievous allegations the APC in Benue State have left no one in doubt that they are working closely with those invading communities to attack innocent farmers in the state.
“We read the text of a press conference the Benue State Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC addressed yesterday January 24, 2023 in Makurdi in which they leveled all manner of accusations on Governor Samuel Ortom whom they said has been using the state Livestock Guards to rustle Fulani cattle, among several other mischievous allegations.
“The APC in Benue State has again proven that it has no value for human lives, and as long as they get power, Benue can go up in flames. A political party that turns to accuse the people of the state it hopes to govern lacks humanity and the conscience to lead,” he said.
The APC chairman emphasized that the spate of cattle rustling by Governor Ortom’s Livestock guards and community volunteer guards under the guise of enforcing the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law usually leads to reprisal attacks on innocent farmers.
“Why is it that the Livestock Guards are always arresting cattle instead of focusing on herdsmen who are perceived violators of the law?
“It must be noted that the Implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition Law is targeted on cattle instead of herders leaving much to be desired. It is therefore our contention that Governor Ortom should immediately review the mode of enforcing the law and go after the perceived violators of the law instead of cattle.
“This has made us to conclude that the attacks are predetermined to achieve a particular political objective, with the 2023 general elections around the corner, Community Volunteer Guards have systematically embarked on cow rustling in Gwer-west, Makurdi and Guma local government areas under the instruction of Governor Ortom which resorted to the recent killing of 17 farmers in Gwer-West, Makurdi and Guma local government areas,” he said.
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