Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue state, has revealed how herdsmen caught two mobile policemen and “slaughtered them like goats”.
Ortom said this on Tuesday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House to brief him on the action so far taken with regards to the New Year’s Day attack by herdsmen on five communities in the state.
He said the President had ordered the deployment of adequate security forces to the state to protect the citizens from further attacks by rampaging herdsmen, and is currently considering his next line of action.
I briefed Mr President when this incident took place on January 1. After staying back on the ground to do the needful to ensure that we restore normalcy, I said it was important for me to come personally and brief him and that has been done,” he said.
“Already, because of the communications we have been having when these incidents started, actions have been taken as directed by him.
“The movement of the DIG, the movement of the IG now to relocate to Benue state to ensure that this challenge is surmounted was at the instance of Mr President.
“Of course, additional personnel of DSS and Police have been deployed and even the army. We have additional personnel on ground now. We have adequately and fully given them the logistics support to ensure that our people are protected.
“I had to brief him, he is also doing further investigation to know the next line of action. I have been writing to the leadership of security agencies, that these people are a threat to our collective interest and they must be dealt with.
“They must be arrested and prosecuted because we cannot allow impunity to continue to thrive. And of course, threat and no action has resulted in this killing and I think that Mr President will also do the needful to ensure something is done.”
Ortom said two of the mobile policemen deployed to the state were killed by the herdsmen on Monday, while one was lucky to have survived the attack.
“Just yesterday in Logo local government, mobile policemen that were deployed to Logo to keep vigil to protect the people and the land; these militia came, exchanged fire with them, caught two of them and slaughtered them like goats — mobile policemen!,” he said.
“They shot another one, ‘machete’ him and left him in the pool of his blood but luckily he did not die. We have taken him to the hospital, we are treating him, the other one that was declared missing was found today.”
The state government subsequently announced that a funeral service would be organised for 59 of the deceased victims on Thursday, after which they would be buried.