Gov Ortom speaks on Benue killings, insists on anti-grazing law

Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom has dismissed claims that the anti-open grazing law is responsible for the killings in his state.

“Anyone alluding that this law (Anti Open-Grazing) is responsible for this crisis is just doing that out of mere mischief or completely out of ignorance”, he told Chamnels TV.

Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali had called for the suspension of anti-open grazing law in states.

The minister made the recommendation during a meeting President Muhammadu Buhari and Service Chiefs.

But Ortom insisted that there was no going back on the laws.

He pointed out that if the ban on open grazing was responsible for the killings, there shouldn’t have been killings in Adamawa, Plateau, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Zamfara and other states where there is no such ban.

“Is there any law in Adamawa? Is there any law in Kaduna State? Is there any law in Plateau State? Is there any law in Edo State? Is there any law in Delta State? Is there any law in Zamfara State where killings are going on far more than what is even happening in Benue?” Ortom queried.

“It is wrong for anybody to say that enacting a law has aggravated crisis in any place. Since I came in, we have enacted over 15 laws for the land. It is for good governance,” he said