Senate Rejects “Incomplete” Report On Benue Killings

The Senate on Wednesday threw out the report of its Committee on Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence on the killings in Benue State.

The Senator Abu Ibrahim committee which was mandated to summon the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris due to his failure to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of the killings based on a resolution reached on February 8, 2018, was heavily criticized by senators as “incomplete.”

The report was laid Senator Ibrahim during plenary.

According to the report, the IGP said 125 arrests have been made and charged to court while 21 suspects are awaiting trial.

The IG also canvassed more funding for the police in a bid to ensure enhanced security in the affected states.

In the report, Idris accused Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state of inciting speeches before and after the mass burial which aggravated the spate of killings in the state.

Speaking on the report, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu) lauded the efforts of the committee but however noted that the report was one-sided because it lacked the input of Governor Ortom who was excessively accused by the IGP.

He said: “I just have one single observation. I noted that in the statement made by the IG, he copiously mentioned the governor of Benue in most of the paragraphs but I didn’t see where the committee made an effort to speak with the governor.

“Because if in the circumstances, they did not interview the governor, and his name has been mentioned in respect to certain statements and actions, it would only be fair to him, to be invited by the committee and hear his own side of the story so that we have a balanced view of what transpired.”

Also corroborating Ekweremadu was Sen. George Akume (Benue) who lambasted the police boss, described all the allegations against the governor as “untrue” and “jaundiced.”

“Those claims are untrue. What he is saying is not true. His comment has always been very jaundiced. Every security agency has made comments on this. Huge numbers are there, and many of them are from outside the country and they armed with assorted weaponry system.

“It is unfair to this country for IG to make this comment on what the governor said which is untrue. What he is saying is untrue. What the governor said is true and it is from there that they move and we have seen video clips of them moving to Benue and very well armed,” Akume said.

After exhaustive deliberations, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, stood down the report and mandated the committee to invite the governor and re-present the report in a week’s time.