Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to extend its border closure to foreign herdsmen who allegedly have the runs of the country’s borders and access Nigerian territories with arms to attack Nigerian communities including Benue.
He made the call on Monday, while lamenting that Nigerians cannot afford to live in fear in their own country.
The report as monitored via ChannelsTv indicates that the Benue state helmsman made the appeal when he visited a female victim of herdsmen attacks whose limb had been amputated over the weekend while working on her farm in Guma local council area of Benue state.
Reiterating the need to ban all forms of open grazing in the country, the governor said that ranches should be established for coordination and security profiling of all those keeping herds of animals.p
It was gathered however that the federal government’s closure of Nigeria’s land borders may have been endorsed the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Abebe Selassie, the director of the African Department at the IMF, made the organisation’s position known on the sidelines of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, USA.
He said although free trade was critical to Africa’s economic growth and development, it must be legal and in line with agreements.
Selassie said the IMF understood that the Nigerian government closed the border due to smuggling and other illegal trades.
