Anti-Grazing Law Not Responsible For Benue Killings- Ortom

Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has faulted claims that the Anti-Open Grazing Law is responsible for the killings in his state.

Following the call for the suspension of the implementation of the anti-grazing law by the Defence Minister, Mansur Dan-Ali, Ortom in an interview for Roadmap 2019, a political programme on Channels television, said that anyone suggesting that the law is behind the plenty bloodshed is talking out of ignorance.

“Anyone alluding that this law (Anti Open-Grazing) is responsible for this crisis is just doing that out of mere mischief or completely out of ignorance.’’

Recall that the minister had on June 5th made the recommendation during a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and Service Chiefs.

Disagreeing with the minister, Ortom insisted there is no going back on the laws made in the state, adding that if the law was behind the killings, then there shouldn’t have been killings in Adamawa, Plateau, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Zamfara and other states where there is no such ban.

“Is there any law in Adamawa? Is there any law in Kaduna State? Is there any law in Plateau State? Is there any law in Edo State? Is there any law in Delta State? Is there any law in Zamfara State where killings are going on far more than what is even happening in Benue?” he questioned.

Ortom said the anti-open grazing law is aimed for the good of the state and thus should not be addressed as a key that aggravates crisis.

“It is wrong for anybody to say that enacting a law has aggravated crisis in any place. Since I came in, we have enacted over 15 laws for the land. It is for good governance.”