Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Killer heldsmen have returned to Benue, Ortom cries out as Osinbajo’s security shoves him at airstrip

Governor Ortom said the entire Gower-West LGA was under siege and that the Fulani were burning houses.

• February 13, 2022
Samuel Ortom
Samuel Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom says killer heldsmen have returned to Benue, burning houses at Gwer West local government area of the state.

Mr Ortom made this revelation when he blamed an airforce personnel for preventing him from welcoming vice president Yemi Osinbajo, who was on transit from Benue to Wukari in Taraba state.

“I have too many things to do. As I talk to you, the entire Gwer-West is under siege. The Fulani have come and are burning down houses,” Mr Ortom said.

The Governor disclosed this while speaking with journalists at the Government House on Saturday.

Lamenting how a Nigerian Air Force personnel attached to the tactical air command barred him from welcoming the vice president to Benue, Mr Ortom said he was sad with the treatment metted out to him by the presidency.

Showing journalists a coppy of a letter requesting that he welcome Mr Osinbajo to the state, Mr Ortom said “I don’t want to be someone who is a busy body. I feel so pained that politics has been taken beyond what it is supposed to be”.

There is no permanent enemy in politics, no permanent friend. Tomorrow I can be the best friend of Mr president if they choose to do the right thing.

“I don’t have any problems with the president and the Vice president, or the federal government, but there are certain things they are doing which are wrong,” Mr Ortom said.

Meanwhile, there have been several attacks by Fulani herdsmen in Benue, that has claimed many lives and properties in the Gwer West local government area and other parts of the state with over 1.5 million internally Displaced persons in over eight camps.

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