The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has directed the Commissioner of Police in Benue to take adequate measures towards strengthening and improving security in the state, particularly around the governor.
Adamu’s directive followed Saturday’s attack on Governor Samuel Ortom while he was at his farm on the outskirts of Makurdi, the state capital.
In a statement on Sunday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, the police chief ordered full-scale investigations into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
He specifically directed the police commissioner in Benue to carry out painstaking investigations into the incident and ensure the arrest and prosecution of persons indicted in the course of the investigations.
The IGP stressed the need to ensure speedy, thorough, and conclusive investigations into the attack.
As part of efforts to achieve this, he ordered the immediate deployment of a team of specialised investigators from the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) in Abuja to Benue State.
Adamu asked the detectives to provide additional investigative support to the Benue State Police Command to ensure that the incident was thoroughly probed.
He, however, called for calm and assured the people of Benue and the country at large that the Force would continue to do its best in stabilising the security situation in the country.
The IGP stated that the police would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to advance the fight against violent crimes and other criminal activities across the country.
Following the attack on the governor occurred on Saturday at Tyo Mu along the Makurdi-Gboko Road in Makurdi Local Government Area of the state.
Recounting how it occurred, Governor Ortom had told reporters that the gunmen who attacked him were “herdsmen”.
According to him, the armed men numbering about 15 trailed him to the riverbank where he was on foot.
The governor said his security details, who were just about six in number, swiftly responded to the attack and repelled the assailants after which they provided cover for him to return to safety.
