President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed disappointment over the comments credited to Governor Samuel Ortom on the wanton killings that rocked his state earlier in the week.
Ortom, in reaction to the recent killing of Benue State’s residents allegedly perpetrated by herdsmen, had accused President Buhari of working for the Fulani ethnic stock to take over Nigeria.
“What is happening now, to me, is very clear; Mr President is just working for these Fulanis to take over the whole country.
“His body language is what is being played out. The body language, the action and inaction of Mr President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this.
“We are becoming a Banana Republic, if we have a President who gave the security agencies order to shoot at sight, whosoever is having AK-47 and the Minister of Defence came out to say that they cannot shoot at sight… so who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces?” Ortom had said.
The governor added, “Mr President must rise up, he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and over the 250 nationalities that are in this country; Mr President is their President, we all voted him.
“He has taken oath of office to secure the country and provide security for lives and property; this is unacceptable, this cannot continue,”
But reacting to Ortom’s accusation yesterday, presidential spokerson, Shehu Garba said Buhari is pained by the killings, but sad that the governor will blame the attacks on the president.
Shehu made this known in a statement issued yesterday.
The statement read in part, “He also states his disappointment and sadness to hear Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State, make a litany of accusations against his person and his government following the recent unfortunate incidents in the state.
“No responsible government takes pleasure in such events as the killing of the military and that of innocent citizens taking refuge in an Internally Displaced People’s camp.
“President Buhari is deeply pained by the terrible acts of violence happening not only in Benue State but also in other parts of the country and expects that the law enforcement agencies will go to every possible extent to catch the perpetrators of these heinous acts and bring them to justice.
“The lives of fellow citizens should not be desecrated by deploying them in political diatribe which unfortunately appeared to be the intent of the string of emotional attacks and blame laid at the doors of the President for those killings by Governor Ortom.
“President Buhari took an oath to defend the life and property of every citizen, a duty he takes seriously and is committed to ensuring.
“Those citizens, regardless of their affiliations, who either incite, sponsor or are proven to be abettors of these atrocities will face the law squarely and be answerable for their crimes against our fellow citizens and nation.”
He said while the president will continue to keep security agencies on their toes, there is a need for cooperation to promote peace.
He said Benue, under the Ortom administration, ought to cooperate with the federal government in the implementation of a number of national programmes to address the underlying issues affecting peace, progress and development.
Buhari, therefore, urged the governor to place the welfare of the people above all other interests.
