Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has made a shocking revelation….  “I got intelligent report that armed militant herdsmen were planning to kidnap me along the busy Makurdi-Lafia road and thereafter torture and kill him.

“They would ensure that all my security aides were killed after which they would Kidnap me, torture me before killing me. Already, l had reported the matter to the police and other security agencies and they are aware of this.”

“Therefore anytime l sleep and wake up and my spirit doesn’t allow me to travel by road, I would call flight operators but just a few days ago, the federal government issued a secular directing that no flight should land in Makurdi airport again.”

“I appeal to the federal government to urgently end the herdsmen killings in parts of the country to pave way for peaceful election in 2019. Most of the polling units in the crisis affected communities of Benue state have been destroyed and taken over by herdsmen who converted them to grazing fields.”

“The killings across Nigeria is a deliberate attempt by some people either Boko Haram, armed bandits or herdsmen working for the same purpose to disenfranchise large proportion of Nigerians from voting for the leaders of their choice.”

“Amnesty international had come out to disclose that over 19,000 people have lost their lives in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Plateau states to herdsmen attacks and this does not speak well of Nigeria nation especially as we are heading towards 2019.”

“Large number of Benue people had become refugees in their own land as a result of ceaseless herdsmen crisis, pockets of killings are still going on in Makurdi, Guma, Logo and Katsina Ala local government areas of the state despite efforts to stem the tide. Most of Benue’s frontline border communities with Taraba and Nasarawa States had been taken over by herdsmen who sacked the indigenous people from their ancestral homes.”

“This is unacceptable because even though, a goat doesn’t bite, but when you continue to provoke the goat, the goat could turn around and bite you. I am calling on international community to show more concern on states affected by herdsmen crisis in the country, I urge traditional rulers to enlighten their subjects on the need to register to obtain their PVCs. It is the sure way to vote out leaders who failed to meet the expectations and yearning of the people.”