Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has urged Nigerians to refrain from making off-the-cuff and inflammatory statements about security issues in the country.

Governor Ortom spoke on Monday, January 30, 2023 at Lafia Government House during a condolence visit to Nasarawa State Governor Eng. Abdullahi Sule on the death of his son, Hassan Sule.

Ortom, who was sympathetic to Governor Sule over the death of his son and the recent killings in Nasarawa state, urged people to refrain from making misleading comments.

“I want to implore people, particularly those in high positions, to refrain from making statements that escalate the problem and create confusion and blame people. I’m really not happy with some statements coming from very responsible people instead of trying to find out what happened,” Ortom lamented.

He said that instead of making off-the-cuff statements, people can check on any topic, stressing that “As Governors, our hotlines are available to the public. People can access us through our assistants and security personnel, instead of making inflammatory statements that are not verified.”

According to the Governor, in Nigeria today we have a general security problem that should not be left to the President or the Governors alone to solve it.

He stressed that “security issues require a strong, collective will from all citizens of this country to work with leadership to ensure that we overcome the challenges.

“So we must join hands, regardless of our feelings, we must ensure the rule of law and respect for human dignity at all times.”

The Governor noted that without security, there can be no significant progress and development.

The Governor, on behalf of the Government and the people of Benue State, expressed his condolences to the Governor of Nasarawa State and prayed to God to give him the strength to bear the loss of his son and all those who were recently killed in the state, urging him to accept it as the will of God who gives and takes life.

In a response on behalf of the family, Lafia Emir Judge Muhammad Sidi Bage (rtd) thanked Governor Ortom for the visit, describing it as a demonstration of the history of brotherhood and unity between Benue and Nasarawa states. .

He recounted the long-standing relationship between Benue and Nasarawa since colonial times, saying that the boundary between the two states was only artificial, as they were one entity and one people through intermarriage and shared the same blood.