Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom says he is disappointed at Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed who appeared to justify the carrying of arms by herders.
In a communique on Friday, Mr Ortom said that while he would not want to join issues with his counterpart, he finds it shocking that a colleague who took the oath of office as he also did, to protect and preserve the Nigerian constitution now takes the lead in violating provisions of the same constitution by calling for lawlessness.
According to Ortom, the most shocking part of Mohammed’s statement was where he defended herdsmen for bearing arms, saying “they have no option than to carry AK47 because the society and the government are not protecting them”.
Ortom questioned the section of the law the Bauchi governor cited to support herdsmen’s free movement around the country with sophisticated weapons.
“It was the same Governor Mohammed who once said on national television that a Fulani man is a global citizen and therefore does not need a visa to come to Nigeria and that the forests belong to herdsmen,” Ortom said.
He insisted that his administration has not driven away any law-abiding Nigerian from Benue.
Ortom also stressed the need for leaders to be cautious and retrace their steps which are capable of leading the country to anarchy.
