Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has revealed that the assailants who kidnapped the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Chief Ekpe Ogbu have been arrested.
Ortom said this on Sunday during a Thanksgiving Mass in honour of the Commissioner held at St. Paul’s Catholic Parish, Utonkon in Ado local government area of the State.
The governor, who lamented the security issues in the State, charged the people of Benue South senatorial district to be vigilant and on the alert to security issues within their area.
Recall Ogbu was kidnapped on December 4th, 2022, by armed men suspected to be Fulani terrorists, a few kilometers from his village, alongside his driver and two others.
Governor Ortom said in view of the looming insecurity in the State, there was the need for collective effort to tackle the challenge, emphasising that “the People of Zone C must stand up and support the Government to resist the invasion of our communities by Fulani herdsmen terrorists.”
The Governor insisted that communities must take their destiny into their hands, stressing that “Everybody must be vigilant and acquire legal weapons prescribed by law to wade off the invaders.”
Governor Ortom also stated that he would soon meet with the Idoma Area Traditional Council to review the security situation in the area in order to map out strategies to curtail the situation.
Ortom maintained that no one will stop him from speaking out against the atrocities perpetrated against the people of the State by Fulani terrorists, stressing that the society was too advanced for the crude approach deployed by the invaders whose sole agenda was to take over Benue ancestral lands.
He encouraged the people to sustain their support to security agencies posted to their area to enable them perform their duties.
The Governor stressed that the Community Volunteer Guards was to support community policing and urged the people to report any suspicious movement around their communities.
Governor Ortom described Chief Ogbu as a “Great son of Idomaland, a man who fears God and believes in equity, fairness and justice” noting that he has stood with him in his political journey and has never disappointed him.
He commended Chief Ogbu as a model and appreciated the community for supporting him, noting that they have had a cordial working relationship.
