Herdsmen Killings:I Have Lost Sleep Since New Year Killings — Ortom

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Saturday, said since the herdsmen killings in the state on New Year’s Day, he had lost sleep.

The governor said this when he received the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Church, Rev. Paul Emeka, and his entourage, in his office in Makurdi.

Ortom stated that he could no longer sleep well since the attack on January 1, when herdsmen invaded Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of the state, resulting in the death of about 164 residents to date.

“I can’t sleep in Government House here with my two eyes closed for 20 minutes because looking at my people undergoing this kind of trauma in the state is enough trauma for me already,” he said.

The governor called on all Nigerians of goodwill to continue to pray for peace in Benue State and Nigeria.

Ortom said he would continue to cry until those behind the killings were apprehended and brought to justice.

He said, “The security agencies must rise up to their responsibilities. Somebody must be blamed for this. I cannot continue to weep over this carnage every day. The law we enacted is meant to proffer a solution to the incessant herders/farmers clashes.

“There are less than 20 million cattle in Nigeria. In India, America and some countries even in Africa, there are over 300 million cattle and we don’t hear of this kind of carnage. We cannot afford to continue in this primitive way of rearing cattle. The time for nomadic life is gone. We must adopt a new approach of rearing cattle to ensure we live peacefully with one another.

“Enough is enough. We cannot continue in this manner. We have prayed and asked that if we have sinned, God should forgive us and may the blood of the people not flow again. If it’s the sin of our forefathers, let God forgive us. After that pronouncement, we want to trust God that He will raise fighters against our fighters.”

Emeka said he was in the state to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the killings and promised that the church would continue to pray for the state.