The Presidency said in a period of heightened insecurity, politicians like Ortom should be working to bring the nation closer together.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Presidency has countered claims by Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered security forces not to move against criminal herdsmen.
Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in a statement on Wednesday challenged Ortom to name the security personnel who told him such lie.
The statement by the Presidency read: ”In a recent interview, the Governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom, claimed that high ranking security personnel had informed him personally that President Buhari had ordered security forces not to move against the Fulani herdsmen responsible for recent violence.
”These ridiculous claims are patently untrue. If he is as brave as he claims to be, let him name names.
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”Let him name the military personnel who told him this story or forever shut up.
”It is disappointing that Ortom, who in the same interview describes himself as a child of God who believes in being lawful and respects the Nigerian constitution, felt the need to spread such a divisive lie.”
The Presidency said in a period of heightened insecurity, politicians like Ortom should be working to bring the nation closer together, not risking further violence by “dishonestly seeking to further divide Nigerians along ethnic or religious lines”.