April 25, (THEWILL) – Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has charged the Governor-elect, Revd Fr Hycinth Alia, not to neglect the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), but rather liaise with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Federal Government to stop the killings in the State when he assumes office in May.
The Governor, who gave the charge through the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Emmanuel Shior, while distributing relief materials to various camps in the state on Tuesday, noted that the rate of killings in the state has not reduced while IDPs are on the rise.
He listed some communities recently attacked by Fulani herdsmen including Apa and Oturkpo Local Government Areas in which 60 deaths were recorded while 10,000 persons are taking refuge at Ugbokpo.
According to the SEMA boss, in Guma Local Government Area, 40 people were killed by herders at LGEA Primary School, Ingbian, with several others injured and taken to hospitals for medical attention.
Doctor Shior explained that the over 10,000 Cameronian refugees residing in Kwande Local Government Area and over two million IDPs for five years have overstretched the financial status of Benue State.
He listed some items which were distributed to various camps including 800 bags of beans, 10,000 cartoons of Indomie, 600 cartoons of Maggie, and 10,000 tubers of yam among others.
