The Middle Belt Movement for Justice and Peace, MBMJP, has described as disheartening, ill-motivated and pathetic the series of sponsored media attacks on Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state saying it is meant to silence a major voice in government that stands with the people and also speak truth to power.

A group, the Benue Patriotic Front had in one of its media outings among others accused Governor Ortom of staging relentless criticism against the President Muhammadu Buhari led the federal government to hide his non-performance as Governor.

The Group also castigated the Governor for calling on the federal government to deploy the same zeal with which the IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested outside the country, to the arrest of the masterminds of the Benue pogrom and their sponsors.

The MBMJP said those behind the attacks were out to disparage and silence the Governor who had always stood for the truth and also spoken for the voiceless majority who had been at the receiving end of the bad policies of the federal government.

Convener of the MBMJP, Comrade Joe Bukka in a statement Wednesday in Makurdi urged the Benue Governor to remain forthright and unwavering in his stance on national issues and continue to offer constructive criticism against the federal government because “you always speak the truth and the people are with you.

“Those behind the sponsored media attacks are out to satisfy their paymasters. But they cannot silence a man that has given a voice to the masses who are at the receiving end of the inhuman and terrible policies of this federal government.

“As far as the people of the Middle Belt are concerned, Governor Ortom has done creditably well in the delivery of democratic dividends to the people of Benue state and we have a dossier of all the projects executed by his administration in the last six years despite the paucity of funds.

“Benue people cannot be fooled, they know those behind the media attacks. Where were they when the state was turned into a killing field and how have they been responding to these wanton killings and sacking of communities in the state by herdsmen militia?

“Today Benue is home to over one million IDPs, no thanks to the activities of these killer herdsmen regrettably the state government is left to grapple with the challenge of catering for them but instead of calling national and global attention to the situation in the state this group of people are dissipating energy on unjustifiable attacks on one of the very few outspoken Governors who fearlessly tells truth to power; it is unfortunate.”