Ex-gov Ortom refutes Benue govt’s claims on displacement figures

Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has dismissed recent claims by the current state government suggesting that more people were displaced during his administration than under the current leadership.

Ortom said he is not in a “displacement competition” with the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia and urged the government to focus on addressing insecurity.

In a statement released by his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom accused Governor Alia and his aides of being fixated on his name, stating that they continuously drag him into unrelated discussions.

The response came after Governor Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Tersoo Kula, criticized comments made by the lawmaker representing Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency, Hon. Dickson Tarkighir. Tarkighir had commended Ortom’s handling of security challenges, which Kula dismissed as a “misrepresented history.”

According to Kula, the Ortom administration oversaw the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the state’s history, allegedly displacing over four million people due to herdsmen attacks.

He argued that the Ortom government failed to back its rhetoric with effective security strategies. In contrast, Kula claimed that Governor Alia’s “pragmatic interventions” had reduced the number of IDPs to less than 1.5 million, despite fresh security threats.

Kula further criticized calls for Governor Alia to adopt Ortom’s security approach, labeling it as ineffective and responsible for escalating the displacement crisis.

Responding, Ortom described the government’s focus on numbers as insensitive, emphasizing that leadership should not be about comparing casualty figures.

He advised Governor Alia to begin implementing the security roadmap presented to him by President Bola Tinubu during a recent visit to the state.

Ortom noted that several days had passed since the President made strategic recommendations, yet no visible actions had been taken.

He also refuted the claim that his administration ever reported four million IDPs, noting that his government developed a comprehensive humanitarian response plan with verifiable data.

Ortom said his administration collaborated with local and international partners through the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to manage displacement professionally and effectively.

Ortom urged the current administration to shift focus from political blame to real security solutions, stressing the need for unity in addressing the state’s humanitarian and security challenges.