Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has called on the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to offer more interventions to victims of herdsmen attacks in the State as it is being done to other States across the country.
Governor Ortom stated this on Tuesday, April 26th 2022 during the flagoff of the Victims Support Fund intervention programme in the State initiated by the TY Danjuma Foundation.
He expressed appreciation to General Theophilus Danjuma for his humanitarian works, saying through the Victims Support Fund, he has been able to assist the State to offer succour to victims of terrorism any time the State called on him.
Inaugurating the programme at the Ortese IDP camp, Guma local government area, leader of the Victim Support Fund team, Mrs Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji said the intervention was to support victims of attacks in six local governments in the State including Guma, Logo, Konshisha, Gwer West, Ado and Oju, pointing out that the intervention would involve monthly distribution of various food items to the victims for six months.
She explained that as captured in the programme, the VSF would offer interventions to the IDPs in the areas of health and medical facilities, rehabilitate the Naka Water Works, provide economic empowerment support as well as set up comfortable shelters for them.
Mrs Akerele-Ogunsiji further stated that the Victims Support Fund would also roll out a psycho-social and wellness programme for the victims to take care of their mental health, saying educational support would also be offered through registering the students for WAEC as well as JAMB examinations.
She bemoaned the level of destruction that has been caused to Benue communities by the herdsmen attacks over the years and enjoined other local and international organisations to assist in alleviating the plight of the victims.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals, Professor Magdalyn Dura and Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Emmanuel Shior in separate remarks, commended the Victim Support Fund for the intervention and appealed for expansion of the programme to cover more local government areas in the state.
