According to the governor, in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr Terver Akase, which was made available to Sunday Tribune in Makurdi, on Saturday, it was unfortunate that the IGP, from the statement credited to him, has “positioned himself not only as the mouthpiece of those who are killing Benue people, but indeed as their shield.”
The governor maintained that the anti-open grazing law was enacted in the state to put a lasting solution to the unrelenting spate of attacks on the state, adding that the establishment of ranches was the best method of animal husbandry across the globe.
He said that the law, which has constitutional backing, followed due process with the requisite public hearings and inputs from various stakeholders, saying “the police authorities had ample opportunity to also make input while the process was ongoing. They however failed to do so.
“The unfortunate claim by the IGP indicates that some of those saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties as well as maintaining law and order have abdicated their duty and become accomplices with those undermining the very existence of the country.
“If truly the IGP said what was widely reported by the media, our conclusion is that his is a clear case of a man who is either on a mission to mislead the nation or is complicit in the attacks on Benue communities and the killing of many people by terror herdsmen.
“IGP Idris needs to be reminded that Fulani herdsmen attacked Benue State more than 50 times and killed scores of people before the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law was enacted in the state. The law could, therefore, not have been the cause of the crisis
“The IGP should tell Nigerians if states like Adamawa, Zamfara, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Enugu, Edo, Plateau, among others, where armed herdsmen have killed hundreds of people also have anti-open grazing laws in place.”
“With his latest demand that the ranching law of Benue State be suspended, it is now clear where the loyalty and interest of the Inspector-General of Police lies – certainly not with innocent Nigerians. He has now positioned himself not only as the mouthpiece of those who are killing Benue people, but indeed as their shield. Little wonder herdsmen still proudly carry out sophisticated weapons and willfully terrorise innocent people in the state without being arrested,” the statement added.
“We wish to place it on record that contrary to the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that the Inspector-General of Police should relocate to Benue to ensure that the killings stop, the IGP spent only one day in Benue and left for a destination where only he could tell. No one has seen him in Benue since that day.
“Nigerians must know that contrary to the statement credited to the IGP, herdsmen are still killing people in Benue. It will, therefore, be wrong to say that enough security has been provided. At the last count after the mass burial of 73 victims of the attacks, about 10 people have been killed in Guma Local Government Area, one killed in Logo and many more are receiving treatment in the hospital having suffered varying degrees of injuries with property worth millions of naira destroyed,” the governor said.
“Benue now has nearly 100, 000 displaced persons in seven camps established by the State Government. We therefore find IG Ibrahim Idris’ statement as mockery and a shameful dance on the graves of those killed in the state by herdsmen.”
The statement further said that the constitutional responsibility of the police is to maintain law and order and not to make or criticise same.
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