News
FG not sincere to end insecurity in Nigeria – Gov Ortom
…Reads riot act to kidnappers
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom says the Federal Government is not sincere to ending insecurity in the country.
Governor Ortom spoke Thursday, December 8th, 2022 when he paid a sympathy visit on his Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Chief Ekpe Ogbu who was recently kidnapped by herdsmen but released unharmed.
He reiterated his stance that the Federal Government was complicit in the lingering insecurity in the country involving terrorism, armed banditry, herdsmen militia, kidnapping and other crimes.
The Governor insisted that “others who are in Government today can pretend about this but Government is complicit at the Federal level. They are part of it. Whatever they are saying now is pretence. They are telling lies and they do not want to give attention to the insecurity situation.”
According to Governor Ortom, “If the Federal Government whose responsibility is to provide security for lives and property and who have the coercive forces of the security architecture of the country decides that terrorism, kidnappings and evil should end today, it will end.”
He maintained that, “If the Federal Government is in doubt, let them make an executive order just like the President makes executive orders in other areas and give me the responsibility to look after the coercive forces that are in Benue State. Tell them to take instructions from me, we will end the evil, armed robbery, banditry and everything, we will end it today in Benue State.”
Governor Ortom explained that “the problem is that the Federal Government is complicit, they are part of it and I accuse them. Why do herdsmen bring their cows in Benue State again when there is a law prohibiting open grazing. Is democracy not anchored by the rule of law?,” he queried.
While rejoicing with the Commissioner and his family over his release from the kidnappers unharmed, Governor Ortom vowed not to allow kidnappers in the state have a field day.
He warned that kidnappers will not be allowed to have a field day in Benue State, stressing that the state will not be a safe haven for kidnappers and other criminal elements.
Governor Ortom vowed that the State Government will never accede to kidnappers’ demand for ransom, emphasising that the provision for death penalty in the law criminalizing kidnapping in the state has been activated stressing that, houses used as kidnappers den will be demolished.
In his words, “We are not going to relent on this war and there is no way we will compromise and allow kidnappers to have their way in this state. I challenge our people to rise up and not to allow kidnappers in their communities. When you suspect them, don’t hesitate to involve the security agencies so that they will not come back again.
“There is no way we can add value to the development of our state when we have kidnappers all over the place terrorising our communities. There is no way foreigners will come here and invest in our state with challenges like this. There is no way we can do everything on our own and make things work. So we must stop this.
“I want to use this medium to send a message to the kidnappers. Benue State will not tolerate this and we are going to move very hard.”
Governor Ortom further stated that for the kidnappers to have dared to kidnap a Government official, it was a clear indication that they have declared war on the Government and charged communities to rise up in support of Government’s effort to declare war on the kidnappers and armed robbers in the state, adding that anyone apprehended will be dealt with according to the law.
He charged communities in the state not to accommodate kidnappers and must step up intelligence gathering and report suspicious persons to security agencies.
While recounting his ordeal in the hands of kidnappers, Chief Ogbu disclosed that from interaction with his abductors, the mission was solely to kill him.
He particularly noted that his driver became the most targeted when the kidnappers discovered that he was Tiv and is from the same tribe with the Benue State Governor but for the mercies of God they had returned alive.
According to Chief Ogbu, although the identity of the kidnappers who were heavily armed could not be known to them since they had disguised in camouflage of conventional security agencies and masked their faces, they constantly communicated in Fulfude, a language spoken by the Fulani, and were freely traversing Ado, Ogbadibo to Oju and seemed to be in control of the forests in the axis.
He expressed gratitude to Governor Ortom for his love and for standing to protect Benue territory and enjoined him not to back down from sensitizing Nigerians on the need to escape from the looming national catastrophe no matter the victimization, blackmail and attacks on his person and office.
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s suggestion that President Bola Tinubu is “tired” and should step aside ahead of the 2027 elections.
The national chairman, who appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, questioned the basis for describing the president as exhausted, insisting that Tinubu continues to work tirelessly while delivering key projects across the country.
“Let me put it this way, epecially to Obi, who claimed that Tinubu is tired—is he (Tinubu) going for boxing or 400 metres?” Yilwatda said. “Are you telling me that the President who stays and works from morning till night is tired? These are the issues we are talking about.”
Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, APC National Chairman
He argued that millions of Nigerians benefiting from the administration’s policies would not support calls for Tinubu to retire from office.
“Are you telling me that over a million students and mothers who depend heavily on and celebrate NELFUND would be praying that the President be retired?” he asked.
Yilwatda also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the development of new seaports in Calabar, Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt, Ondo and Lagos, as evidence of the administration’s commitment to national development.
“Are you telling me that over a million students and mothers who depend heavily on and celebrate NELFUND would have prayers that the President be retired?” he asked.
Yilwatda also cited several infrastructure projects as evidence that the administration remains focused on delivering its agenda, pointing to the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as well as new seaport developments across the country.
“Are you telling me that people who have the coastal road from Lagos to Calabar, to Akwa Ibom and Port Harcourt, or the five seaports in Calabar, Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt, Ondo and Lagos, are those who wish that the President be retired?” he said.
The APC chairman further referenced the ongoing modernization of Nigeria’s aviation sector, saying the extensive airport upgrade projects supervised by the Minister of Aviation reflect a government actively investing in critical infrastructure.
“I am sure you watched the renewal of airports being upgraded by the Minister of Aviation. This and many others, even in the North,” he added.
According to Yilwatda, the administration’s investments in education, transportation, maritime infrastructure and aviation demonstrate that President Tinubu remains fully engaged in governing the country, contrary to claims that he is too tired to continue in office.
Yilwatda’s comments follow remarks of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi who, in a sit-down interview with Channels TV interview, stated that President Bola Tinubu is “tired” and lacks the capacity to lead Nigeria, calling for him to step aside and retire ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Enugu State Government has suspended Igwe Christopher Nyia, the traditional ruler of Obeagu Ugwuaji Autonomous Community in Enugu South Local Government Area, following a prolonged leadership crisis in the community.
Handing over the letter of suspension to the monarch, the state commissioner for chieftaincy matters, Dr. Charles Egumgbe, said an administrative panel of inquiry had been constituted to investigate both the immediate and underlying causes of the crisis, as well as the allegations made against the traditional ruler.
The commissioner said the suspension was approved by Governor Peter Mbah in the interest of peace, public order and good governance.
The government’s action followed events of July 16, 2026, when residents of Obeagu Ugwuaji staged a peaceful protest to the Enugu State Secretariat Complex, the Enugu State House of Assembly and the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, where they demanded the immediate dethronement of the traditional ruler over allegations of land grabbing and financial impropriety.
Obeagu Ugwuaji natives demand dethronement of Monarch
Some natives of Obeagu Ugwuaji community had on Thursday, July 16, 2026 demanded the dethronement of the embattled traditional ruler over alleged land-grabbing and administrative high-handedness.
The protesters gathered at the front of the Government House, Enugu, to lodge their complaints. They were led by their Town Union President, Chukwunonso Obi.
After making a brief appearance at the Government House, bearing placards with different inscriptions, they thereafter marched to the Enugu State House of Assembly complex and the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs.
They were received at the assembly complex by the member representing Nkanu East State Constituency, Honourable Anthony Okoye, who commended them for being peaceful.
Okoye said the House of Assembly has the constitutional mandate to oversee matters relating to local government administration and chieftaincy affairs in the state.
According to him, “The House of Assembly oversights both the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, including the town union government in all the local governments and localities of the state. We are going to activate the power of our oversight over their complaints.”
• His wife, driver, security guard shot
A serving Nigerian military intelligence officer, Colonel Abdussalam A. Ude, was shot dead after putting up fierce resistance against armed assailants who attempted to abduct him at his residence in the Kurudu District of Abuja, according to PRNigeria.
The officer, from Enugu State, was regarded as a dedicated professional due for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General next year.
PRNigeria reports that the attackers ambushed the senior officer shortly after he arrived at his home, opening fire as he alighted from his vehicle on Monday evening.
The gunmen attempted to abduct the officer, but he fought back despite being heavily outnumbered, refusing to surrender to his attackers.
His resistance, security sources said, prevented the assailants from taking him away alive, although they subsequently shot him multiple times at close range.
During the attack, the gunmen also opened fire on members of his household, leaving his wife, driver, and security guard with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
The victims were rushed to hospital, where they are receiving treatment.
Security sources described Colonel Ude as a courageous and highly respected intelligence officer who remained composed even in the face of imminent danger.
One source familiar with the preliminary investigation said: “He resisted them.
“From what investigators have gathered, they wanted to take him away, but he fought back.
“Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price.”
The circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation, while security agencies have launched efforts to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
Before his death, Colonel Ude served in several strategic military intelligence and counter-terrorism appointments within the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
He participated in numerous operations against insurgents in Nigeria’s North East and was deployed on specialised international assignments, including missions in the Republic of Chad and France, where he contributed to intelligence and security cooperation efforts.
His burial was scheduled to take place in Mambilla Mosque in Abuja on Tuesday in accordance with Islamic rites.
The killing has once again raised concerns over attacks targeting serving and retired military personnel, particularly within the Federal Capital Territory.
The incident recalls the killing of retired Brigadier General Uwem Harold Udokwere, who was murdered on June 22, 2024 after armed men invaded his residence at Sunshine Homes Estate in the Lokogoma area of Abuja.
Udokwere was reportedly stabbed to death while attempting to defend his family before the attackers escaped with his firearm and other valuables.
Security experts say the latest attack is likely to intensify calls for enhanced security measures for serving and retired military officers, especially those who have held sensitive operational and intelligence appointments.
Investigations into Colonel Ude’s killing are ongoing, with security agencies working to determine the motive behind the attack and bring those responsible to justice.
PRNigeria
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