Methodist Church of Nigeria donates relief materials to IDPs

The Methodist Church of Nigeria on Friday donated two trucks and two buses of assorted food items and other sundry items to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State.

The items were presented by the Prelate of the church, Most Rev. Samuel Uche to the state governor, Mr Samuel Ortom in Makurdi.

“That is why we are moved to make this donation at this point in time,” the prelate said.

The Methodist prelate condemned the spate of killings in Benue describing the recent killings of two Catholic priests and 17 other parishioners in the state as `barbaric and unacceptable’.

“’Killing, especially in sacred places is a sacrilegious and intolerable nuisance which has to be stopped by the powers that be.

“Government authorities should sit up and address the security challenge head on because any government that is not protecting its citizens is irrelevant,” the prelate said.

He said that the Anti-Open Grazing Law 2017 was the only sure way to end the killings and that the church was in support of it.

According to him, the enactment of the law is a right step in the right direction because moving about with cattle is an obsolete way of animal husbandry.

“Even in developed countries, herds of cattle are ranched and that is the best way of rearing animals,” he said.

Responding, Gov. Ortom commended the church for the show of love and concern shown through provision of relief materials for the IDPs.

Represented by his deputy, Mr Benson Abounu, Ortom said that their coming would bring to an end the insecurity in the state because they had taken the situation to God.

The governor said that the state was facing a severe ‘warlike’ situation because insurgents wanted to take over their land.