A File Photo Of Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has rejected the allegation that alleged herdsmen who attack Benue State always come in and escape from the state.

Nasarawa borders Benue and it has been suggested in some quarters that the criminals who carried out the recent attack in Yelwata community in Benue which claimed several lives, came in and left from the neighbouring Nasarawa.

However, Governor Sule, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, yesterday, refuted the claims that Nasarawa harbours criminals, saying that the state has less activities related to cattle rearing.

“The problem comes with the terminology of harbouring and things like that because there is nothing like that,” Sule said on the programme.

“Nasarawa don’t even have enough Fulani’s that we can say that (it is harbouring anybody).”

“Nasarawa is not known, that is why anything that has to do with dairies, with cattle, we don’t do that because Nasarawa has enough problems of its own. So, why would Nasarawa be interested in harbouring anybody? We have enough trouble to manage.”

He acknowledged that the accusation of Nasarawa being a gateway for Benue attackers has been on for a while even before he assumed office as governor.

“Unfortunately, in 2019, that was what I inherited. I inherited a situation whereby my predecessor and Governor Samuel Ortom were not in talking terms because of some of these accusations. ”

“I went to Governor Ortom to say, what is really happening between you and my predecessor? He said it’s because of this and that, and I said okay calm down, I am willing to sit down with you to find a solution,” he said.

Governor Sule said that his government is doing a lot to secure the state borders including acquiring security vehicles for border patrol.

Recently, scores of residents in the Yelwata area in Benue were killed and over 3000 persons displaced during an overnight attack by suspected herdsmen. Though the government put the number of slain persons at 59, civil rights groups claimed that about 200 deaths were recorded.

On Tuesday, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced the arrest of 26 persons suspected to be masterminds of the killings.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the IGP said the police were on the heels of other suspects who participated in the Yelwata killings.

He assured Nigerians that the police are not overwhelmed as they are mopping up light and small weapons illegally acquired by some persons.