Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted after governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom was attacked by gunmen.
Governor Ortom and President Muhammadu Buhari
The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has condemned attack on Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom by some unknown gunmen.
Buhari condemned the attack on Sunday describing it as unacceptable, warning, however, that the incident should not be politicised.
Buhari who said an attack on any Nigerian is an attack on all Nigerians, welcomed the deployment of a high-level team of crack investigators to the state from the Police headquarters in Abuja, calling on the officers to fish out the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to justice.
“In expressing his sympathies, and that of the government of the federation to Governor Ortom and all Benue indigenes, President Buhari said the unfortunate incident must not be politicized, reiterating that an attack on one Nigerian is an attack on all Nigerians,” a statement from a presidential aide, Garba Shehu, added.
The Nigerian leader, therefore, directed the Police to undertake a thorough investigation into the incident involving the governor and into all such incidents affecting individuals and communities in the state.
“Let there be open and transparent investigation and whoever is linked to it should be caught and be made to face the law,” Buhari added.
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen had over the weekend attacked Ortom at Tyo Mu along Makurdi/Gboko road in Makurdi Local Government Area of the state.
Briefing journalists, Ortom, who described the gunmen as ‘herdsmen’, said about 15 of the attackers trailed him to the river bank where he was on foot.
The Governor praised his security details that were just about six in number for responding quickly to the attack and repelled them promptly before providing cover for him to return to safety and his vehicle.
"My lawyer is going to make a petition against the leadership of MACBAN because they came out to target me and behind the scene, they are planning to eliminate me on my own land,” he said.
“If I can’t go to the farm as governor with entire security around me then who else can go to the farm? You can imagine the pains that we have here in Benue State.
“I appreciate the security personnel attached to me they were able to repel them and they could not have access to me,” Ortom stated.