By Deji Elumoye
A former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has formally reacted to the reported assassination attempt on Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, warning the federal government against pushing Nigerian citizens to self help.
Mark, in a release on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Paul Mumeh, therefore charged security operatives to rise up to the challenges of securing lives and property to avoid the people resorting to self defence.
He said: “If our government and security operatives can no longer guarantee people’s 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.”
While condemning the assassination attempt on Governor Ortom, the former Senate President who hails from Benue State, said the deteriorating security situation has become scandalous and making Nigeria a subject of ridicule before other nations.
He wondered that if a state governor could be so brazenly attacked, what would the criminals not do to the ordinary citizens.
According to him, “Benue people are receptive and accommodating but this should not be misconstrued or mistaken for weakness, enough of this malady.”
Mark 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 wit, defend and protect the lives and property of Benue people without compromise.
The former ranking senator advised all citizens to be security conscious at all times and advised them to provide useful information to security operatives of any suspected activity believed to be unlawful or anti-society.
