Ortom: Tinubu’s orders on Benue insecurity yet to be carried out

Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has expressed concern over the federal government’s inaction following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to address insecurity in the state.

During an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Ortom said no steps have been taken since Tinubu’s visit to Benue on June 18, following the deadly Yelewata attack that claimed over 100 lives.

“The president asked former governors and traditional rulers to support Governor Hyacinth Alia in tackling insecurity, but since then, no meeting has been held. We’re still waiting for the governor to act,” Ortom stated.

The former governor, whose ancestral roots are in Yelewata, said the killings affected his local government directly.

“Over 200 people were killed in my area. That’s home for me,” he said.

Ortom recalled his efforts while in office, highlighting collaborations with traditional institutions and security agencies to protect communities. He also reaffirmed his resistance to the Ruga and cattle colony policies under former President Buhari, which he described as deceptive.

“There’s no peaceful way for farmers and herders to coexist on the same land.

“It always leads to crisis. I opposed those policies with facts, but the federal government ignored us,” he said.

He alleged that many of the attackers behind the Benue violence are foreign nationals from Chad, Niger, Mali, Senegal, and Libya, working with local collaborators to take over ancestral lands.

“This is a planned attempt to wipe out our people. That’s the truth,” Ortom insisted.

Despite the inaction, Ortom praised President Tinubu for personally visiting the state and ordering the arrest of those behind the Yelewata killings—an approach he said differed sharply from the previous administration’s neglect.

However, he warned that unless the president’s directives are implemented and genuine action is taken, Benue’s security crisis will continue to escalate.