Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has revealed that the assailants who kidnapped the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Chief Ekpe Ogbu have been arrested.
Ortom said this on Sunday during a Thanksgiving Mass in honour of the Commissioner held at St. Paul’s Catholic Parish, Utonkon in Ado local government area of the State.
The governor, who lamented the security issues in the State, charged the people of Benue South senatorial district to be vigilant and on the alert to security issues within their area.
ENJOY9JA reports that Ogbu was kidnapped on December 4th, 2022, by armed men suspected to be Fulani terrorists, a few kilometers from his village, alongside his driver and two others.
Governor Ortom said in view of the looming insecurity in the State, there was the need for collective effort to tackle the challenge, emphasising that “the People of Zone C must stand up and support the Government to resist the invasion of our communities by Fulani herdsmen terrorists.”
The Governor insisted that communities must take their destiny into their hands, stressing that “Everybody must be vigilant and acquire legal weapons prescribed by law to wade off the invaders.”
Governor Ortom also stated that he would soon meet with the Idoma Area Traditional Council to review the security situation in the area in order to map out strategies to curtail the situation.
Ortom maintained that no one will stop him from speaking out against the atrocities perpetrated against the people of the State by Fulani terrorists, stressing that the society was too advanced for the crude approach deployed by the invaders whose sole agenda was to take over Benue ancestral lands.
Paramount ruler of Idoma nation, Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty, John Elaigwu Odogbo who also attended the thanksgiving Mass, prayed God to continue to preserve Chief Ogbu, calling on his subjects to be vigilant for the security of the domain and sued for sustained unity amongst Idoma people to defeat the common enemy, adding that with unity, a lot could be achieved.
Earlier in a homily, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. John Ogoyi who is also the Dean of Utonkon Deanery, proclaimed that the choices one makes in life will determine his or her destiny, stating that God has placed the choices of life and death for Christians and expects the faithful to choose life.
The Catholic cleric stressed the importance of thanksgiving, noting that a heart of gratitude attracts more blessings from God.
Governor Ortom was later dressed in the traditional regalia of Ufia people as a mark of honour by the Ad’Ado, HRH, Chief Joseph Onazi in appreciation for the appointments given to their sons and daughters in his administration. 
