Ortom Appeals For Calm Over Communal Clashes
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has appealed for calm during his visit to Ogobia and Ondo communities in Otukpo local government area where four persons were killed and four others injured during a communal clash.
During his visit, Ortom witnessed the burial of Maj. Lawrence Ugbo (rtd), a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman in the state who was killed and burnt inside his car during the crisis in the early hours of Wednesday.
The governor, who strongly condemned the incident, urged the security operatives to arrest all those behind the crisis.
He said the two brothers, Ijachi Udenyi and Benjamin Udenyi, whose rivalry led to the conflict, would not be allowed to make the state ungovernable.
While pointing out that the peace and unity of the two communities is sacrosanct and should not be compromised, Ortom announced that one of the brothers has already been arrested while the search for the other continues.
He described the late Major Ugbo as a great man, who had sacrificed his entire life for the unity and progress of this nation while in and out of the military.
Speaking earlier, the Otukpo local government chairman, George Ali alleged that it was a land dispute between two brothers that led to the crisis, saying it was not a political crisis.
He said the crisis was a spillover of the bitter rivalry between the former Otukpo council chairman, Ijachi Udenyi who is of the APC and his brother, Benjamin Udenyi who is a PDP chieftain.
The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Otukpo local government, Christopher Ogbleba and his son were also reportedly killed in the crisis.
.
