On Thursday, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom requested that the National Population Census be halted until all internally displaced persons returned to their ancestral homes.
Ortom made the announcement after receiving a delegation from the Middle Belt Forum led by its President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, in the audience.
According to Ortom, a substantial number of persons in the state are still in IDP camps and may not be counted since they must be in their areas before participating in the exercise.
The outgoing governor, however, stated that the Federal Government should provide appropriate protection for IDPs in Benue and everywhere in the country so that they may return home.
He said, “I want to say that the Federal Government 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 go back to their ancestral lands to give all of them opportunities to be counted in the homes of birth.
“Because I understand from the National Population Commission that those to be counted must be counted in their localities.