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The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, has urged security agencies to hold the Benue State Government under Governor Gabriel Suswam responsible for the recent spate of kidnappings and political violence in the state.

Ortom spoke when the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe, led a delegation from the commission on a visit to him in Makurdi on Friday.

He said that reliable sources had revealed that the people who took oath to protect lives and property had abandoned their responsibilities and compromised their positions by training a militia group and equipping it to wreak violence in the forthcoming polls.

He said a grand plan by the government to use the militia to kidnap prominent APC members and supporters had commenced with the kidnapping of the Provost of the College of Education, Katsina-Ala, on allegations that he was a supporter of the party.

According to the former Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, the objective of the plan is to intimidate and scare the APC and its supporters from participating in the forthcoming polls, adding however that the plan is bound to fail.

He said that armed youths on the convoy of the governor destroyed the APC offices, flags and posters in the Ukum, Katsina-Ala, Logo and Buruku local government areas.

Ortom stated that his campaign organisation had compiled all the destruction which Suswam and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party had done to the APC campaign property in the state and would forward same to the commission for necessary action.

He appealed to the authorities to intervene as the restraint and tolerance of victims had been stretched to the limit.

Prof. Angwe, in his comments, said he was on an advocacy visit to sensitise stakeholders to see elections as a civic duty and political office as a call-to-serve and not a do-or-die affair.

He said the mandate of the commission included the investigation of allegations by victims of political violence and that its findings and decisions were as binding as court judgements.

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Hold govt for kidnappings in Benue