TheCable

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, has urged indigenes to place the interest of the state above any factor capable of causing disunity and retrogression.

The governor made the call in a statement made available by Terver Akase, Benue chief press secretary, on Tuesday.

Ortom said the safety of lives and property in all parts of the state is the priority of his administration.

He said though the north-central state has faced obstacles in terms of security and economic growth, a renewed commitment among its people would help it rise above the challenges.

He said all political leaders and party supporters in the state should rise above “divisive, unedifying and selfish interests as the political season heats up.”

“The Governor tasks every Benue man and woman to commit themselves to the sustenance of democracy as well as economic and political stability which are essential for good governance and growth,” the statement read.

“Governor Ortom once again commends the military for the efforts being made by troops of ‘Operation Whirl Stroke’ to ensure that communities being terrorized in some parts of the state by armed herdsmen are safe for those living in Internally Displaced Persons camps to return to their ancestral homes.”

Ortom urged the people of Benue to support security agents with “useful and timely information to enable them apprehend criminal elements and guarantee peace.”

He encouraged Muslims in particular to “commit themselves to the Holy Prophet’s injunctions of piety, honesty and charity to the less privileged,” in the spirit of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.