Presidency: Buhari ‘disappointed’ over Ortom’s accusations

 

The presidency has expressed disappointment at the accusations levelled against President Muhammadu Buhari by the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom over the insecurity in the country.

MuchTalksBlog had reported that Ortom on Tuesday accused President Buhari of working for the Fulani ethnic stock to take over Nigeria in a reaction to the recent killing of residents allegedly perpetrated by herdsmen.

However, in a statement on Thursday, April 20, the Senior Special Assistant to the Presidency on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, condemned Governor Ortom for blaming President Buhari for the deaths.

In a statement titled ‘Governor Ortom Only Sees The Problems Of Others, He Doesn’t See His Own,’ Shehu said the President was saddened by the killings in the country as well as the governor’s accusations.

The Presidency aide said, “The President expresses his condolences to the families of our dear citizens who lost their loved ones in the recent spate of killings in Benue State.

“Furthermore, he states that the rising levels of incidents, especially the killings and violence in various parts of the country call for further collaboration with security agencies to curb its recurrence.

“He also states his disappointment and sadness to hear Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State make a litany of accusations against his person and his government following the recent unfortunate incidents in the state.”

While many critics have accused him of failing to act to secure the nation, Mr Shehu suggested that the government was working to secure the nation.

“No responsible government takes pleasure in such events as the killing of the military and that of innocent citizens taking refuge in an Internally Displaced People’s camp,” he said.

“President Buhari is deeply pained by the terrible acts of violence happening not only in Benue State but also in other parts of the country and expects that the law enforcement agencies will go to every possible extent to catch the perpetrators of these heinous acts and bring them to justice.

“The lives of fellow citizens should not be desecrated by deploying them in political diatribe which unfortunately appeared to be the intent of the string of emotional attacks and blame laid at the doors of the President for those killings by Governor Ortom. President Buhari took an oath to defend the life and property of every citizen, a duty he takes seriously and is committed to ensuring.

“Those citizens regardless of their affiliations, who either incite, sponsor, or are proven to be abettors of these atrocities will face the law squarely and be answerable for their crimes against our fellow citizens and nation.”