‘Hidden agenda’ – Gov Ortom calls for suspension of 2023 census, gives reason

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has called on the Federal Government to suspend the proposed National Population Census scheduled for May 2023.

Ortom made the call on Wednesday when he received a delegation from the Middle Belt Forum led by its President, Dr Bitrus Pogu in Makurdi, the state capital.

The Governor, who alleged that there may be a hidden agenda on the conduct of the census, asked the FG to halt the exercise until the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, return to their homes.

He said, “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.

“Because I understand from the National Population Commission that those to be counted must be counted in their localities”.

The state has the worst record of herdsmen attack in the country, with thousands of persons killed within a year.

Benue has over two million persons living in different IDPs camps across the state.

Barely one week ago, the dreaded killer herdsmen invaded one of the IDPs’ camps and killed at least 35 persons