•Hon Terseer Ugbor and Governor Hyacinth Alia
The lawmaker representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives, Terseer Ugbor, has blamed the recent spike in insecurity on a lack of synergy among the state’s political leaders.
The lawmaker accused the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led state government of engaging in what he described as ‘bad politics’ in its efforts to address the security situation in the state.
Both the lawmaker and the governor are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Channels Television today, Ugbor said, “Unfortunately, there has been not very much synergy, not very much engagements between the Benue State government and the members of the national assembly.
“Since I became a member of the House of Reps, I have never been invited by the governor of Benue to government house to have any sort of discussion and my community experiences one of the highest levels of insecurity in the state.”
Asked whether he has requested to see the governor, the lawmaker replied, “I have asked to be invited, I have reached out many times, and I have tried to do my best, reaching out to NEMA to provide palliatives.”
He lamented that he and other lawmakers in the state are not being carried along in several stakeholders meetings that have been convened by Governor Alia.
“We are not invited (to stakeholders engagements). Recently, there was a security committee that was set up in the state to look at the insecurity and we were not invited. The government of Benue doesn’t think members of the National Assembly have a role to play or are important enough to be invited to the security committee set up to look at the insecurity in Benue.”
When asked what he thinks could be the reason the governor is not inviting him and some of his colleagues to security meetings, Ugbor said, “It is just politics; it is just bad politics, really. “What else can it be? I am giving you a typical example, there was a security committee set up from my local government for the insecurity in my local government and I was not invited.”
‘We’re ready to work with the governor’
Emphasising that the growing insecurity in Benue State cannot be politicised, Ugbor said that the state lawmakers are ready to work with the governor and every arm of government to bring peace to the state.
He lamented that over 40 per cent of arable land in Benue State has been taken over by armed Fulani herdsmen.
There has been a rise in insecurity in Benue State recently, with criminals attacking several communities and killing over 50 persons.
Recent attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Ukum and Logo local government areas in the state are among the most brutal in recent times.
Following the attacks, Governor Alia appealed to the federal government to step up and deal with rising insecurity in the state.
Addressing journalists after the visit to the affected communities in the two local government areas, Alia condemned the violent attacks on the defenceless people. He called for greater action from security agencies to nip these killings in the bud.
