Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has urged residents of his state, especially those in rural areas to defend themselves with lawful weapons whenever gunmen strike at their homes to wreak havoc.
According to a statement by his spokesman, Nathaniel Ikyur, the governor gave the charge on Wednesday, while reacting to the fresh killings of five people in his hometown in the state.
He noted that the need for the residents to rise up and defend themselves has become imperative following the rising spate of killings by unknown gunmen in the state.
The governor said: “It is no longer fashionable to continue to cry out for help. We must now be alert and ready to confront these killers.
“This is another way we can assist the security agencies in combating this menace since they are obviously overstretched beyond limits,” he said.
He further stressed the need for the federal government to synergize with his administration and step up military operations that will flush out suspected armed herders from neighbouring states bordering Benue.
The governor said, “It is time to end this unnecessary shedding of innocent blood. We can do it if we cooperate with each other. The situation where killer herders take shelter with our neighbours, sneak in and kill our people without provocation will not be tolerated any longer.
“Let the security agencies continue to cooperate with us in Benue to end this bloodletting. Let us dislodge these invaders from wherever they may be hiding for peace to return to our communities,” he added.