Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has made a fresh lamentation about the growing insecurity in many parts of Nigeria.
The Governor while reacting to threats by terrorists to abduct President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State said the audacity of the criminals is further testimony to the fact that no government exists in Nigeria.
He said the terrorists are fast spreading their tentacles and gaining confidence, warning that with the slow and lethargic response from the government, Aso Rock may be their next target.
The Benue Governor stated that it is obvious the criminals are sponsored and have heavy backing.
He added that those surrounding the President are criminals and it is painful that such is happening.
In the words of Ortom during a chat with journalists in Makurdi, “things are getting worse in Nigeria.”
He added that, “you know I said this before I travelled that very soon, with the manner in which the bandits are operating without proactive steps from the federal government, they will soon enter Aso Rock.
You have seen happenings in the country, the Kuje prison break and the threat to kidnap the president, God forbid but this is what I saw a long time ago.
Those people in Afghanistan who are bandits and Fulani are the ones. They are being sponsored. I feel pained that this is happening in my generation. There is no government in Nigeria today. Those who are surrounding the president are criminals.”
The Threat
Terrorists on Sunday released a video in which they threatened to kidnap and kill Nigeria’s number one citizen, President Muhammadu Buhari.
In the video, the terrorists threatened to abduct and kill Buhari and Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State.
The terrorists, who abducted over 60 passengers of the Abuja Kaduna train on March 28, also boasted that they would destroy the country, kill the remaining passengers in their custody and sell out the others.
In the video, a terrorist could be heard threatening to turn the area into an abattoir unless the Muhammadu Buhari-led government complied with their demands.
Presidency Response
The federal government on Wednesday described the threats against the President as laughable and mere propaganda.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed who reacted shortly after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, made light of the kidnap threat.
He said: “On the security situation. I want to assure you that the President is aware of all these and as a matter of fact, I think tomorrow there’s going to be another Security Council meeting. So, it’s not a matter the President is taking lightly, and like I’ll always, say some of the measures we’re going to take are not measure that you can discuss openly here, but we’re as concerned as you are, we’re not going to abandon our responsibility.”
“As to those who have issued threats to President, I think it’s more of propaganda than anything. It’s laughable”.
FG Must Account For Security Funds
On Tuesday, Governor Ortom called on the federal government to account for the one billion dollars in security funds jointly put together by the 36 states of the federation to fight insurgency in the country.
Ortom made the call while addressing journalists in Makurdi on the security challenges in the state, wondering how the federal government had expended the huge sum of money and insecurity has continued unabated in the country.
The governor disclosed that he had mandated his deputy, Benson Abounu who represented him at a virtual meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) to seek clarifications on the matter.
