The House of Representatives on Tuesday directed the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police to launch an investigation into the attack on Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state by Fulani herdsmen.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by kpam Sokpo from Benue and 10 other lawmakers during the plenary session on Tuesday.
Naija News had reported that Ortom confirmed that he almost lost his life during an attack on Saturday by some gunmen he described as herdsmen.
The Governor who spoke with newsmen after the incident, narrated that the gunmen, numbering about 15, trailed him and his team to a riverbank when he was on foot before launching the attack.
Ortom’s convoy was attacked along Makurdi/Gboko road in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue but his security team repelled the attack and whisked the Governor to safety.
The Benue Governor blamed the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and called for their arrest.
During plenary on Tuesday, the lawmakers cited newspaper reports, which identified one Umar Amir Shehu and a group known as Fulani National Movement (FUNAM), as claiming responsibility for the attack on Ortom.
The lawmakers said “the assassination attempt on Ortom of Benue state is an invitation to anarchy and glaring indication that the nation is drifting into a state of full-scale lawlessness”.
The motion was put to a voice vote and was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers.
