The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and the Miyetti Allah, according to Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, are upset with him because he is standing up for the truth.
According to Anaedoonline.ng, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore had accused the governor of racial profiling in a statement following their Monday meeting in Abuja with their extended National Executive Committee (NEC) and State Chairmen.
“The meeting condemned the continuous profiling of Fulani pastoralists by the beleaguered Governor of Benue Samuel Ortom through his satanic anti-grazing law that he has been using to officially confiscate and auction millions of cattle belonging to Fulani in Benue-Nasarawa, Benue, and Benue-Taraba border communities,” Miyetti Allah had said.
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When Ortom hosted a group from The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints in Makurdi, he quickly responded, claiming Miyetti Allah and Atiku were blackmailing him.
The governor of Benue State asserts that he has no remorse about what he did and owes no one an explanation for the choices he made, adding that the herdsmen’s group and the presidential candidate are targeting him because he has defended the Benue people.
Ortom recalled that “in 2017 when we were attacked by normadic armed Fulani herdsmen from Chad, Niger, Libya, Senegal and other countries, who decided that they would come and take over Nigeria and make it their own country, we cried loud and also decided to put in place policies that would safeguard our people.
“That was why we enacted the law prohibiting open grazing because ranching remains the global best practice for animal husbandry.
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“And we insisted that the law must be respected by everybody whether you are a Fulani man or wherever you come from.
“But because the agenda was to take over and occupy our land, they are very angry with me. They have taken the Benue State government to court twice and we defeated them because we have a law in place.
“And today you hear blackmail from Atiku Abubakar who is the presidential candidate of my party, you hear blackmail from Miyetti Allah saying that I have profiled Fulani.
“But I have always qualified the type of Fulani that I am profiling; and they are responsible and they have also not denied it.
“They have come to accept and agree that they are responsible for the killings in Benue.”
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The governor said that since 2011, more than 5,000 people have died in Benue State, and more than 120 security personnel have also perished while attempting to uphold law and order and safeguard the calm in Benue State.
He said: “And then some people feel that they are above the law, otherwise what is wrong in obeying the open grazing prohibition law?
“I have not sent any Fulani away from Benue State. Any Fulani man who is law-abiding remains part of us and an indigene.
“I have Fulani men in my government who are working with me. We have not sent anyone away.
“But one thing we have succeeded in doing is that we have exposed the Fulanis who come from other countries to displace our people.
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“As I speak with you, we have over two million Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, aside the over 12,000 refuges from Cameroon, that I am hosting in Benue state.
“How do you want me to be a happy man and be praising you, praising Fulani, for what? I will not do it.”
Ortom swore to continue protecting and serving the people who elected him governor till the last drop of his blood.
The PDP leader went on to say that he does not apologize for or regret his acts because they are in accordance with both the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution and his teachings as a Christian.
“I believe in fairness, equity and justice. That is what our Lord Jesus Christ thought us. We should be fair to all and that is where I stand.
“And so I have no apologies to anybody. Somebody can be angry with me like our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said in Kaduna.
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“But it was an agenda to profile me and set me against the Fulani. I know the agenda. At the appropriate time I believe that God will handle such issues.
“I believe that people should live peacefully together, work together and enjoy together,” Ortom said.
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