The immediate past Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday accused Governor Hyacinth Alia of playing politics with the security challenges facing the state.

He was reacting to a video clip in which Alia was addressing a congregation at NKST Church, Ikpayongo in the Gwer East Local Government Area on Sunday, where he (Alia) claimed that since he assumed office, herders had stopped attacking and killing people in the state.

Speaking through his media aide Terver Akase, the former governor asked Alia to apologise for his comments.

He said: “While we may not bother with the theatrics of the governor and his inclination towards obfuscation, we find it rather sad and unfortunate that he made such claims before a church congregation in Gwer East, one of the local government areas that have suffered some of the worst herdsmen attacks under his watch, with many people killed, others injured, and property worth billions destroyed.

“The people of Gwer who were in that church must have felt grossly dismayed on hearing such words coming from a man who is their governor.”