Direct transcript of Governor Samuel Ortom's statement in the joint press briefing with Minister of Interior, Lt Gen (rtd) Abdulrahman Danbazzau earlier this week.

By Usha Anenga

"...heard that killing in Benue State, it is not true. It's one other thing that we have discussed. I know that people have been killed, the numbers are 5, 15, 2 and this is as a result of criminal elements of both the herdsmen and also the farmers. They are two, and as we balance it up as Governor, the truth is that I'm aware of the criminality that is going on. But it is something that we must come together and work as Federal and state Government to ensure that we have peace for both the herdsmen and our farmers. We have made our position known as Benue State people. The fact is that we will love to continue to have more of the people come in but the problem is the land and today we are going back to agriculture. So becomes extremely difficult for herdsmen and farmers to live together. But we must sit down together on a round table. It is not a matter of killing, it is not a matter of destroying and carting away peoples property and all that. We must sit on a roundtable to discuss and fashion the best way to help us live together."

Took my time to transcribe this from the video on Governor Samuel Ortom's official Facebook page.

Politicians will understand better the relevance of neutrality and "political correctness" in the face of wanton killing of one's brothers and sisters in a daily basis. I will never understand.

To some of us, ordinary citizens, those words don't portray one who is ready to lead a resistance against the carnage going on in communities across the state. It's rather encouraging to the killer-herdsmen and devastating to victims, potential victims and their families.

Leadership is difficult and tough but the least a leader should know how to do is knowing how to talk, and we've seen too many of this verbal gaffes already. May be pleasing to the higher eaters but not funny for us at the bottom of the food chain.

I stand with Ortom but on this statement, NOOOOOOOOOO!!

See as them they count human lives like Chicken....

Well Comets are not seen when the poor dies, But Heaven itself blazes forth at the death of Princes

You want him to dare his masters in North?

he is an afonja