Irked by the assassination attempt on Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state on Saturday, former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has condemned in strongest terms, the attack .
Mark in a statement issued in Abuja, Sunday, tasked security operatives to step up to the challenges of securing lives and property to avoid the consequences of a resort to self help by Nigerians.
He said the deteriorating security situation has become scandalous and making Nigeria a subject of ridicule before other nations.
“If a state governor can be so brazenly attacked, what would they not do to the ordinary citizens.
“Let me state clearly that Benue people are receptive and accommodating. But this should not be misconstrued or mistaken for weakness. Enough of this malady.
“If our government and security operatives can no longer guarantee peoples’ safety in their homes , farms or places of business, I am worried that the situation may compel citizens to resort to self help.
“That is the situation, we cannot contemplate and must not be allowed to happen because the consequences would be catastrophic.
“Therefore, federal government and all the security agencies must of a necessity come to terms with the painful reality of the unabating insecurity in the land and resolve to end it”, he said.
He however, told Ortom not to be deterred by the incident but should rather spur him to beef up security and welfare for the citizens of the state.
He noted that the governor has lived up to his oath of office to defend and protect the lives and property of Benue people without compromise just as he advised all citizens to be security conscious at all times by providing useful information to security operatives of any suspected activity believed to be unlawful or anti- society.
Governor Ortom was said to have been ambushed by gunmen suspected to be Fulani bandits along Tyo-MU Makurdi/Gboko road on Saturday but escaped by the whiskers.
