Governor Samuel Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue said on Saturday that 600 assorted illegally acquired weapons were recovered while 800 militants submitted themselves for reorientation in the Amnesty Programme introduced to rid the state of crime at the inception of his government.

The Governor who spoke to journalists at an interactive session organized to mark the one year anniversary of his administration therefore asserted that the amnesty programme has succeeded in helping to reduce crime in the State, though he agreed that there are still pockets of criminal activities going on in some parts of Benue.

While dismissing critics who argued that the amnesty initiative is a failure, Governor Ortom said the fact that other states are copying it was enough indication of its success.

The Governor was quoted by NAN as assuring that all illegal arms still in circulation would be recovered and culprits, handed over to security agencies for prosecution.
Ortom lamented the recent killing of his security adviser but vowed to find the killers and bring them to justice.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for granting him unfettered access to security personnel from all the security agencies in the country to fight insurgency in the state.
Speaking on the economic situation in the state, Ortom regretted the declining revenues accruing to the state, saying it had affected the payment of salaries.
He said the drop in the money accruing to the Federation account from N7 billion to N 1.7 billion was adversely affecting the state