Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike has called for the imposition of a state of emergency in Benue State.
His call is coming barely five days after the attacks in Zaki Biam, which led to the death of over 52 persons.
Wike said declaration of a state of emergency in Benue had become necessary because the governor, Samuel Ortom, had shown “ineptitude and lack of capacity to handle the situation.
“You can’t have a governor watching helplessly as his people are being killed. What kind of governor is that.
“He has displayed sheer laziness and incapacity in the whole issue, and this is quite unfortunate.”While asserting that governors were not fully in charge of security in states, despite being called chief security officers (CSOs), Wike, however, said governors were supposed to have strategies, working with security agencies, on how to combat crime.
“No excuse is acceptable for the high number of deaths in Benue”, he said.
Many news media reported that about 52 persons, including women and children, were on Monday shot dead, with several other people sustaining various degrees of injury, after gunmen invaded Zaki Biam, in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue.
Few months ago, Wike took Ortom to the cleaners for daring to campaign against his government in Rivers State.
