Saraki visits Benue, promises to stop killings

PRESIDENT of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has vowed that the Senate would do everything humanly possible to stop the killings in the country, particularly Benue state.

Saraki stated this on Sunday when he visited Abagena IDP camp in Benue state.

The Senate president said that the future of the country belongs to the children who are unfortunately found themselves in the terrible situation they have found themselves which is not there fault.

Saraki said his visit was to celebrate the Children’s Day with the IDPs children.

“I used to do this with children every year in my office Abuja but today, l have the pain they were passing through would soon come to an end and they would return to their homes as soon as possible.

“That is why we have not stopped to engage the security agencies on how to provide security to Benue. We will not stop doing that until they will provide security for you in Benue state. Whoever we need to talk to, whoever we need to direct, we will not stop until we make them do what they are supposed to do.”

“Today marks the children’s day. In the past, I celebrated in my office in Abuja with children but I chose to come to Benue today to celebrate with the children as part of the concern to know that Nigerians and the Senate are here with me.”

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He assured people of the state not to give up or lose hope, Saraki said the Senate was already engaging the executive arm of government and all relevant authorities to provide adequate security to the state and other troubled states of the federation to ensure that displaced people return to their homes and to their normal lives.

He explained that National Assembly was posed to meet the aspirations of Nigerian, this he said had been actualized with the funds voted for a critical aspect of life; health and education in the2018 Appropriation bill recently passed.

Earlier, Governor Samuel Ortom while welcoming the Senate President and his entourage to the state disclosed that 60 percent of the over 180,000 IDPs in the state were children some whom parents have been killed by herdsmen.

He further reiterated his call on the need for the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore (MAKH) to be arrested, prosecuted and brought to justice.

“We have made our position known because we know our killers and we are looking forward that security agencies will arrest them. Our killers are MAKH. It has nothing to do with religion. We don’t want to say it is a fight between Fulani and Benue people. When we say it is jihad, it is because they (MAKH) said so without hiding it.