President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday said that he was surprised at the revelation that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, did not spend 24 hours in Benue, when he directed him to relocate to the state and remain there till peace was restored.
“I am getting to know this in this meeting. I am quite surprised,” Mr Buhari said during his working visit to the state where he condoled with the people over the deaths of local farmers killed by suspected herdsmen on January in the state.
Mr Buhari, however, said that the meeting was not the best place to expose the inefficiency of his appointees, and appealed to Benue people to exercise restraint and live in peace with their neighbours.
He said that government was deeply worried about the incessant attacks on Benue’s rural communities, and vowed to end the menace “very soon”.
Buhari, who met with farmers, herdsmen, government officials and other stakeholders in Makurdi, denied insinuations that he was not interested in what was happening to the north-central state.
“I cannot overlook the killings in Benue or any other part of Nigeria. I cannot do that. I am genuinely worried about the attacks in Benue and we are doing everything to end them,” he said.
He said that the insecurity in some states was a major concern to his government, adding that concerted efforts were being made to restore normalcy to every part of the country.
