Herdsmen shoot Gov. Ortom in Benue

Governor Samuel Ortom has disclosed that he narrowly escaped death when suspected armed herdsmen shot at him in his farm at Adeke along Makurdi-Naka road.

This is just as suspected armed herdsmen reportedly abducted and killed a member of the state’s Livestock Guard in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.

Ortom, Monday in a live radio programme monitored in Makurdi said he had gone to his farm in the outskirts of Makurdi town few days ago when armed herdsmen besieged the vicinity and opened fire.

According to him, “just last week I was on my farm that is situated in the outskirts of Makurdi town when armed herdsmen came there and shot at me.

“They also shot at the vehicle of our Livestock Guards who came there and shattered it. We had to call the joint military security team, Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS, who came and saved the situation,” he added.

The Governor lamented that in the influx of armed herdsmen into the state had become a source of concern and worry and needed to be checked urgently.

He said “We are doing everything possible to arrest the situation. These people are deliberately coming into the state. And I have always maintained that armed herdsmen, ISWA, ISIS and Boko Haram are the same thing and they are out to prosecute the same agenda.