The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, says his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom, uses the insecurity in his state to attack the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government in order to cover up his own failure.
El-Rufai, therefore, stated that he no longer takes Ortom seriously.
The Kaduna governor said this while responding to a video showing Ortom addressing protesters after some killings in Benue State.
The video was played during a webinar organised by the Africa Leadership Group.
Responding, el-Rufai said, “I did not hear what Governor Ortom said (in the video) but I know him and he is not somebody I take very seriously, frankly. He has other issues of governance that he is using the Federal Government as a punching bag to distract attention from his failures.
“Go and find out how many months’ salaries are being owed teachers and public servants in Benue State then you can understand a lot of what Ortom is doing.”
El-Rufai, however, admitted that there is a fundamental problem with the capacity of the Armed Forces and the police.
“We have a serious national problem. I wouldn’t say we are totally helpless but we are in a situation where the Armed Forces and the police have lost significant confidence in themselves and their institutions,” he said.
The governor said security agents need more weapons and there is a need to increase the number of operatives.
