Killings in Benue, Kaduna, others disturbing – Ogbeh

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has described the killings in those parts of the country as “extremely disturbing” and wondered “how a country could hope to enjoy happiness and fruits of God’s blessings when people engage so violently in hurting each other.”

He stated this in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja for the Director of information by Mrs. Oluwakemi Ogunmakinwa, condemning “the ugly situation where people entered the New Year with new hopes and prayers and turned out to be a harvest of deaths across the country from Kaduna, Rivers, and Benue to Kwara states which has to do with clashes between herdsmen and farmers.”

The statement read in part: “This is to really express sadness at the continued spate of killings across the country. We entered the New Year with hope, prayers and wishing everyone happy new year.

It has turned out now that across the country from Kaduna, Rivers, Benue, to Kwara states is nothing but a harvest of deaths.

Some of it has to do, we believe, with clashes between herdsmen and farmers, but the killings are definitely extremely disturbing and we do not know how a country can hope to enjoy happiness and fruits of God’s blessings when people engage so violently in hurting each other.”

He expressed condolences to “those who have lost their beloved ones, the governors and leaders of the states where these have taken place and expressed optimism and hope that as the country’s economy grow and people gets busier, this degree of desperation, anger and venom would definitely decline.”

“We do hope that as the economy grows and people gets busier, this degree of desperation and anger and venom will definitely decline.”

Tom Okpe, Abuja