Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, has said over 70 people have died in the past two weeks due to the incessant killings of citizens by armed groups.

He said this while addressing youth protesting the sudden death of seven Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) killed by suspected herdsmen.

Following the killing, IDPs from the Agbana camp, seven of whom were killed, had joined the youth to storm the Makurdi Lafia Federal Highway, laying the corpses of the victims on the road to express their grief.

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However, Ortom has blamed the Federal Government over the killings of innocent citizens by armed groups in his state.

“What is happening is an unfortunate development,” the Governor said. “If the Federal Government had taken a proactive step, today we’ll not be where we are. We’ve buried over 70 people in the last two weeks just in Makurdi Local Government alone.”

He also said that the Federal Government refused to act when he raised an alarm over the threats of Fulani herdsmen in the state.

“I alerted the entire nation when the Fulani said except we review the open grazing policy, Benue will not be in peace.”

FIJ had reported how armed bandits killed 12 soldiers in Konshinsha area of the state. The military then embarked on a vengeful mission over the death of their colleagues, killing, raping and maiming defenceless citizens of the state.