Attack on Ortom: Benue govt reacts as IGP contradicts police investigative team’s report

Terver Akase, the chief press secretary to Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has reacted to the contradiction between the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali’s report on the attack on Governor Ortom, and that of the investigative team the office of the IGP deployed to Benue after the assassination attempt.

Alkali was recently quoted to have said that police arrested those who attacked Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom but their “investigations so far show that the outcome is contrary to the claims made by the Governor”. Whereas, the investigative team the office of the IGP deployed to Benue after the assassination attempt on the Governor confirmed the identities of the attackers as armed Fulani herdsmen.

“We want to believe that the Police Inspector-General was misquoted,” Akase said in a statement released on Friday.

It continued: “…the IGP has come out with a contrary statement to that of his investigative team.

“Less than 24 hours after the attempt on the Governor’s life, the group called Fulani Nationality Movement, FUNAM claimed responsibility for the attack. The group’s statement was widely reported by the media. Yet, the Police IG was still searching for the killers elsewhere without inviting members of the group for questioning.

“This scenario was succinctly captured by Punch in its cartoon of March 22, 2021 regarding the attack on Governor Ortom,” it added.