Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to suspend the proposed National Population Census, which is scheduled for May 2023.
Governor Ortom made the call during a meeting with a delegation from the Middle Belt Forum, led by its President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, in the state capital, Makurdi, on Wednesday.
Expressing concerns of a hidden agenda behind the census, Governor Ortom urged the Federal Government to halt the exercise until all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state have returned to their homes.
He stated, “The FG should suspend the issue of the census because it looks like the proposed census is coming with an agenda. So until they are able to restore security and all our IDPs return to their ancestral homes to give all of them opportunities to be counted in their homes of birth.”
Governor Ortom further highlighted that the National Population Commission had stated that individuals must be counted in their localities, and therefore, the IDPs should have the opportunity to return to their homes before the census is conducted.
Benue State has been plagued by frequent attacks from herdsmen, with thousands of people killed within a year, making it the state with the worst record of herdsmen attacks in Nigeria.
Currently, over two million people are living in different IDP camps across the state.
Just recently, a deadly attack by suspected killer herdsmen occurred in one of the IDP camps, resulting in the loss of at least 35 lives.
Governor Ortom’s call to suspend the national census reflects concerns about the safety and inclusion of IDPs in the census process, and highlights the ongoing security challenges faced by the state of Benue.
