Leaders of Benue State led by Governor Samuel Ortom on Tuesday said that the state had no empty land to be designated as a cattle colony as being proposed by the Federal Government.

Addressing State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja over the recent attacks on communities in Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, Governor Ortom said he had no prior understanding of the meaning of colonies until he was enlightened by the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh.

Ortom said: “I do not understand what colonies mean. Today, I was privileged to meet the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, and he explained to me that a colony is many ranches put in one place, restricted to one place.

“For us in Benue State, we have no 10,000 hectares to be allowed for that kind of a thing to take place. Other states have the land but we in Benue State don’t have and that was what led us to enacting this law,” Ortom said.

The Governor maintained his stand that  the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore be arrested over  their inciting statements which he believes caused the massacre of innocent villagers in Guma and Logo Local Government areas of the state.

He further said the allegations that the state was assembling militia groups was meant to distract people from the issue at hand as according to him, the amnesty programme he embarked upon in 2015 disarmed over 800 youths across the state.