The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has sympathized with Governor Samuel Ortom and the people of Benue State on what the forum termed the sad, cowardly, and wicked plan by suspected militia that the governor’s convoy.
A statement on Sunday by the Chairman of the forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi described the news of the broad daylight attempt to cut short the life of the governor as shocking and a rude awakening.
Fayemi said the NGF strongly condemned the act in its entirety and called for all hands to be on deck to expose the identities of those involved in the heinous crime.
Also, the Northern State’s Governors Forum Forum has condemned the attack on the convoy of Benue Governor Samuel Ortom.
Chairman of the Forum and Plateau Governor Simon Bako Lalong, in a statement, said the attack on Ortom was yet another daring attempt by criminals to cause mayhem not only in Benue State but in the nation.
While praising the security details of Ortom for repelling the attack and securing the Governor and members of his entourage, Lalong said relevant security agencies must carry out detailed investigations to fish out those behind the attack and their sponsors.
According to him, all hands must be on deck to tame the degeneration of security that threatens the corporate existence of the nation.
Lalong said Northern Governors stand in solidarity with their colleague and everyone in Benue, assuring they will continue to engage and support security agencies in their duty of securing the region and nation at large.
Not left out in condemning the attack on Ortom is the Benue State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP caucus leader in the House of Representatives, Hon Samson Okwu, who described the attempted assassination of the governor as barbaric.
Okwu in a chat with journalists in Abuja said that the accusation finger should be allowed to comb all directions noting that Ortom is a peace-loving Nigerian that should not be sacrificed for baring his mind on the terrible state of insecurity in Nigeria.
On Saturday afternoon, the Benue Governor’s convoy was attacked in Markurdi but he escaped by the whiskers.
The governor had to run a race of his life as he had to cover one and a half kilometres to take cover as bullets were rained on his convoy.
-VANGUARD
