Former Plateau State Governor, Jonah David Jang, has come hard on Governor Lalong after his comments on the reckless killings carried out by criminal herdsmen in Benue State.
The governor while speaking to State House Correspondents on Thursday, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, made these comments criticizing Governor Ortom’s handling of the herdsmen in the state.
In a statement released by the Media Consultant to Sen. Dr. David Jonah, Comrade Clinton Garuba on Friday, he decried the timing of Governor Lalong’s comments citing his comments as “an insult on the sensitivity” of the people of Benue State on the same day they were burying their dead.
The statement read: “At a time when the mood of the nation, nay, the states that have continued to suffer decapitation at the hands of marauding killer herdsmen should be sober, it is unfortunate that some one of Governor Lalong’s standing will utter words that will be an insult on the sensitivity of the people, especially of Benue State.
“This is unfortunate not only coming from the Governor but on a day when the Government and people of Benue State held a mass burial for Hapless women and children who were murdered on the first day of the Year, ordinarily a day of jubilation.
“While the people of Benue were at the funeral of their lost brethren, Lalong, in his usual manner was playing to the gallery in Abuja with a view to scurrying cheap political points and portray himself as an insider of the Buhari administration.”
The Senator representing Plateau North constituency of Plateau State noted Governor Lalong’s silence would have done more good than his insensitive comments. He said such comments are unacceptable coming from the Plateau State Governor considering Plateau State has suffered the brunt of the reckless killings of these herdsmen.
“At times when, one lacks what to say or would say what is irrelevant, especially in calming frayed nerves, silence become golden. When people who trot around as leaders cannot conduct themselves in that manner, it is only a pointer to the fact that they were never prepared at all for leadership. Thankfully, the days and months ahead leads us to another electioneering period and with the wisdom Nigerians now have, having suffered all kinds of hardship including escalating insecurity occasioned by herdsmen, it is only a matter of time before the right people will be put in the right places of authority.
“That Governor Lalong had the temerity to insinuate that the Governor of Benue State Governor is responsible for the massacre of his people by implementing a people-oriented law to safeguard his people, is the height of wickedness. If anything, the Governor of Benue State deserves the condolences from Governor Lalong and not those comment attributed to him.”
He, however, urged the governor to tender his apology to the government and people of Benue State for his insensitive comments.
“For this reason, the only assuaging thing for Gov. Lalong to do at the moment is to tender an unreserved apology to the Government and people of Benue State for those unnecessary and unsavory comments, which at best could be described as an insult.
The Senator said the people of Plateau State will not accept creation of grazing reserves in the state and will also reject any sort of anti-people policies.
“Plateau people, especially of the Northern zone which Senator Jonah Jang represents say NO to grazing reserves and will not accept the confiscation of their ancestral land for the purpose of creating reserves, colonies or whatever they may be called.
“Gov. Lalong speaks for himself, as far as the people of Plateau North Senatorial zone are concerned. We have already suffered too much loss in the hands of the killer herdsmen to allow an entrenchment of their feudalistic and genocidal tendencies. If the Governor claims to have people already donating lands for the purpose of grazing reserves or cattle colonies, I wonder who these people are and brings home anti infested wood and refuses to court the visit of lizards.
“The vehemence with which Plateau people reject any policy that undermines the peace for which they are known is as potent today as it will always be. Governor Lalong is on his own and alone this path of self- destruct which he has chosen.
“To regain his humanity, it is only humanly possible that he apologises to the Government and people of Benue State,” the statement concluded.
The Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, on Thursday, disclosed that he warned Benue State governor Samuel Ortom, against implementing anti-grazing law while giving no alternatives.
