@POLITICSNGR

Governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom has cried out to the public over the recent killings in the state by Fulani Herdsmen, saying that the Presidency has 'abandoned' him.

Ortom pointed fingers at those around the president, saying that they were frustrating his efforts to present a true account of events to the president due to selfish reasons.

Speaking to Vanguard, Ortom further stated that he was losing control of things as the people of his state now take laws into their own hands. He said;

"Let me be frank. The Federal Government has not done enough. When this incidence started with the threat from the president and secretary of Miyetti Allah, Kauta Hore, who addressed a press conference and issued threats that they will do everything possible to frustrate the Benue State Government from implementing the anti-open grazing law, we quickly drew the attention of the Inspector General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, and even the office of the National Security Adviser.

The leadership of Miyetti Allah called the law names: that it was draconian and had no place in the 21st century. We saw that as a threat to our existence and in June 2016, we reported to the then acting president (Prof. Yemi Osinbajo) and to our surprise, these people were not apprehended.

When they saw that no one was going to apprehend them, they went further to issue more threats. In October 2016, we reminded the IGP, the DSS and the NSA of the potential violence that we faced in Benue State as a result of the threat from the Miyetti Allah. We, specifically, demanded that the two officers of the Miyetti Allah, the secretary and the president, be arrested, but unfortunately, they were not arrested. I do not know why the Federal Government has abandoned us. If they had acted that time, we would not have gotten to where we are today."

The stressed governor said that due to the continued killings of innocent Benue Indigenes by Fulani Herdsmen, the people have now decided to take laws into their hands.

"You can see that it is getting beyond me. Even when there was protest against the recent killings in Makurdi, and I went there, there was massive resistance. It became violent and it is even God that saved us. I would have been attacked.

When I came into office, there was proliferation of arms and ammunition in the state. I declared an amnesty programme that saw massive retrieval of arms from our youths. I pleaded with them that the way to develop is not by taking the laws into their hands but by obeying the laws. I have resisted the temptation to say that our people should protect themselves because I trusted the president.

I believed that he has the capacity to protect us. But from what is happening, I am sure some people around him are frustrating our communication with him and the actions to be taken. Otherwise, the president I know will not allow this kind of thing to be happening. We have not committed any offence.

We have no regret passing the anti-open grazing law. The law came as a necessity because of the killings in Benue State by the herdsmen. We sought peaceful ways of resolving the matter but we could not.

We tried everything under the sun to ensure that we stopped these killings but it was not possible so we prayed and God gave us the wisdom to enact that law, which gives protection to the farmers and the herdsmen.

“We have not sent cattle rearers away from Benue, we are simply saying there are modern ways of rearing cattle, which is to ranch them. With that, farmers can go their legitimate ways of doing their business and those who are rearing cattle can also continue. I am surprised at the resistance of the herders."

https://politicsngr.com/fulani-herdsmen-buhari-abandoned-us-benue-governor-ortom-cries/

they should ask ortom, he need to answer questions


he was the same governor who told AGATU to lay down their arms when they were faced with this same crisis which also led to the arrest of so many AGATU indigenes forcing them to lay down arms(he called it amnesty), it was after a week or two this herdsmen attacked AGATU again and claimed so many life in the area.
the killing during the said amnesty was the most bloody of all time in the crisis


i can remember he went to AGATU with Gov. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of nasarawa state to preach amnesty and peace then

when he is serious, he know what to do and how to go about it

i just the watch

Is this one a Governor

FAYOSE is an "illiterate", he's a rogue and many other unprintable names. BUT SO FAR SO GOOD, he has been able to curtail the dreaded Fulani herdsmen in Ekiti by ENACTING A LAW TO DECISIVELY DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. The BENUE STATE GOVERNOR NEED TO LEARN FROM HIM..

Why are these stupid leaders always to blame Buhari Why always blaming those around him

Do they stop the president from picking up a newspaper to read to know what's happening in the country he governs

Buhari is an ethnic bigot, he has decided to do nothing about it because they are Fulanis

It's quite a shame that we all live in a society where sentiment is the norm of the government.

Buhari is a failure!!!
Buhari disgusts me!!!
A president with no interest in the welfarism of his citizens

Declare The herdsmen terrorist group now or else....

Fulanocrazy practitioner

Mumu governor.learn from Fayose and stop crying like a baby.

Learn from fayose, if na ekiti, fayose go don recruit local hunter and boys, train and build local gun for them, na that time you go no say local guns better pass being allowed to be slaughtered free

hollywater:
Mumu governor.learn from Fayose and stop crying like a baby.

There is already an anti open grazing law in Benue state similar to what Fayose enacted in Ekiti state. Implementing the law by the law enforcement agencies is however the problem. This is why state police is inevitable in Nigeria. Governors make laws for the peace and security of their States without having the means to enforce the laws. This are the kind of issues that the call for restructuring should address. In the interim, I will advice the governor to raise and arm a local militia group to meet force with force. Any Fulani herdsmen seen with arms or suspected to be part of the killing gang should be shot at sight.

The president must also stop his pretentious stand and address this issue of criminal herdsmen once and for all. The killings are too much and the presidents silence and inaction is no longer tolerable. The military should be deployed to the state to fish out the criminal herdsmen who are commuting genocide in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and Adamawa state. Buhari should be bold enough to be the president of Nigeria and not the president of Fulani people alone.

This is getting more complicated

The presidency supports the fulani mafia... so what do you expect?

I feel for this Benue state honestly

Use the Golden rule and recruit ur boys to secure your people.....

shameless governor

Really sad

U want buhari to start killing his cousins

I thank god he is APC.

Why does every governor rush to exonorate the president from events and happenings except fayose and wike, he is the commander in chief... kai, Haba. As if it was not the president that appointed the service chief's and everybody around him.

This is a very dangerous precedent being set

Jonathan took all the blame exception of none. He is even taking for that of bornu state governor on chibok issue till date, if given the chance herdmen would be tagged on him. Even for that of bokoharam, fuel marketers, NNPC despite not being a minister, crude oil crash etc..

But Buhari is quick to be exonorated.. this Juju or eye service strong ooo..

The ekiti state Governor, Ayo fayose cannot make this cowardly statement.He will take decisive action as the number citizen of his state.What a coward statement from a coward governor.

Did one certain Fayose rely on the fed govt




Meanwhile....

Arsenal's hope of DEFENDING the FA Cup didnt last 4-2 long

How won't u loose control wen y were not ready for leadership your( APC) aim was jus to win d election without planninig for wat comes next
#Pathetic

stay there and be crying...mtchew

Benue should learn from Ekiti

The presidency has abandoned us just as much as you have abandoned the state civil servants!

Ortom is just waking up to reality that PMB is least bothered.

This madness will stop in 2019
Atiku2019

Nah wow for this village headmaster, a man that can not protect his house nd fmly, that one nah man? He should go nd learn work frm fayose.

This Ortom is very useless