Benue killings continues because IGP disobeyed me – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed the Inspector General of Police, Idris Abubakar over the continuous killings in Benue State.


The President said this while faulting the notion in some quarters that he had abandoned the people of Benue State.

Buhari said he had the people of the state at heart and will not abandon them.

The president made this remark on Tuesday during a condolence visit to the state.

According to him, “The problem in Benue stated worsening because the IGP refused to follow my instruction.

“It is wrong to think I have abandoned the people of Benue. I still have at heart.


“I thank the governor and the people of the state for receiving me.

“We have deployed security agencies to make sure the clashes between farmers and end as soon as possible.”

President Muhammadu Buhari says he is not aware that Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police, did not heed his instruction in Benue state.

Shortly after 73 persons were killed in January following clashes between farmers and herdsmen, Buhari asked Idris to relocate to Benue.

But when he visited the state on Monday, the president was told that Idris did not spend up to 24 hours in the state.

In surprise, Buhari said: “I’m not aware that the I-G did not spend 24 hours in the state as directed by me, I am getting to know in this meeting.”

He also said the meeting was not the best place to expose the inefficiency of his appointees and appealed to the Benue people to exercise restraint and live in peace with their neighbours.

Buhari told the meeting attended by farmers, herdsmen and government officials including senators and members of the house of representatives, that he is doing his best to tackle insecurity in the land.

He denied insinuations that he overlooked the killings that happened in Benue, saying he is genuinely worried over them.

Buhari urged the people to show restraint and allow the security agencies to handle the untenable situation.

“The governor and I, and others here know that we will leave one day, but the relationship between farmers and herders will continue,” he said.

“I urge you to keep in touch with them and advise them to live peacefully. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups with different cultures and nobody can question God for putting us together.”

Recalling his civil war era memories with military officers from Benue, he noted that his nostalgic experience with such persons would never allow him to do harm to the state.

On his part, Samuel Ortom, the governor, appealed to the president to upgrade the ongoing military exercise in the state tagged “Ayem A kpatema” to an operation to effectively curb herdsmen attacks.

”If the exercise is upgraded to an operation, it will assist greatly in ending the incessant attacks and senseless killings by herdsmen,” he said

He urged Benue people to exercise restraints and learn to live in peace with other people.
He said that many states in the federation were now involved in massive cultivation of rice.

He reiterated his call for the arrest of the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for “being responsible for the killings”.

Ortom still maintained that ranching was the best option for cattle breeding in the country.

He also called on the federal government to take over the management of the Benue University Teaching Hospital, College of Education Katsina-Ala and Benue Polytechnic Ugbokolo.

Representative of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Benue Chapter, Shettima Mohammed, denied responsibility for the Benue attacks.

He said the association was peace loving and the exact opposite of its public presentation by government officials.




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  1. I will help you to sack the IGP

    ReplyDelete
  2. So what's the next step to take if the IGP disobeyed the President & Commander in Chief.

    Mr. President, what ate you waiting for? Many lives have been lost as a result of this disobedience. The IGP should not only be sacked but prosecuted for aiding & abetting the killings

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr Buhari you're a shame for telling the nation this nonsense story. You and your inspector general of police knows what you're doing.

    ReplyDelete

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