FG must close border against killer foreign herdsmen – Ortom

Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom has decried the recent attack on a Benue female farmer in Guma Local Government Area by suspected herdsmen during which her hand was cut off even in the face of the anti-open grazing law in the state.

The governor who spoke when he led his wife, Eunice and some members of the state executive council on the victim of the attack, Mrs. Wanhena Zeku currently on admission at the Federal Medical Centre, Apir in Makurdi Local Government, called on federal government to close border against foreign herdsmen on killer mission.

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“The perpetrators of this act must be foreign herdsmen coming from Mali, Nigel and other neighbouring countries. And when they killed, they retreat to their countries through our porous borders. We can’t continue like this,” the governor stated.

According to Gov. Ortom, there are cases of missing people in the state, explaining that if the case of Mrs. Zeku is not known, she would have died in Gborigyo community where she went to inspect her farm land.

While calling on Benue people to cooperate in ensuring full implementation of the Anti -open Grazing and Ranching Prohibition law which he said has brought down cases of farmers and herders clashes under control since its enactment in 2017.

Responding to a question, Gov. Ortom disclosed that with the recent development, the state executive council will meet to review the security situation before taking a final decision on plans to disengage internally displaced persons camps to go to their ancestral homes.

“You see, IDPs cannot continue to remain in camps forever. Most of them have gone back home, but with few isolated cases of attack on them. But, I can assure that security agents are currently investigating and trailing herders that cut off this woman’s hand,” he assured.

Relating her ordeal to the governor, the victim, Mrs. Mbahenan Zeku said on that fateful day, she had left the IDPs camp in Udei Town where her family is currently taking refuge to her farm in Gborigyo in Guma Local Government Area only to discover that cows have destroyed her beniseed farm.

She explained that while she was moving round her farm, she suddenly saw a Fulani herdsman with a cutlass who hit her on the head and in the ensuing scuffle, he cut off her left hand and abandoned her on the farm.

“I ran and later fell down because I was bleeding. I raised an alarm which attracted some passersby who took me to safety, while the herder took my hand and fled towards Nasarawa state,” she narrated.

Mrs. Zeku, who expressed appreciation to Gov. Ortom and his wife Eunice for finding time to visit her in the hospital, said that she hopes that a day will come when the activities of herdsmen would be over for people of the community to return to their ancestral homes.