Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has stated that his Open Gazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law must be obeyed by all groups seeking to do business in the state as none is above the law.
Ortom was reacting to statement in some dailies credited to the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Abdullahi Bodejo in which he threatened that Governors who refuse to establish cattle colonies also known as RUGA settlements will not know peace in their states.
Ortom in a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase noted Badejo’s speech as saying, “…you are a governor and you want to enjoy peace in your state, you don’t need any long meeting, just create a particular area for the Fulani and equip them with modern amenities.”
Ortom stated that the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore’s outing has confirmed the fact that the group is not only responsible for attacks on farming communities in parts of the country but is also determined to reject any method of animal husbandry that does not agree with nomadic cattle breeding and are poised to sponsor violence in states not willing to donate land for open grazing.
“Utterances such as those of Bodejo are inciting and direct invitation for anarchy. No group should be above the law to be dictating to states on how to accord preference to it at the expense of other Nigerians.
“We call for the arrest and prosecution of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore President for persistently making statements capable of stirring crises in the country.”
Bodejo in the same media reports had singled out Governor Ortom for vilification, saying the Governor has been playing politics with the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law to win sympathy and gain advantage.
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Bodejo also accused Governor Ortom of killing Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria and demanded that the Governor apologizes to them. The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore President vowed that Fulani will never allow the Benue State law on ranching to stand.
“We find the statement not only as a real threat to peace but also as prelude to another round of attacks on Benue communities by herdsmen militia.”
The Governor recalled that this was the same manner the group threatened in May 2017, a few days after he signed the ranching law that they would mobilize their members across West Africa to invade Benue and resist implementation of the legislation.
“They carried out their threat on the eve of 2018 new year when their armed militia murdered 73 innocent persons, destroyed property worth millions of naira and displaced over 500,000 people in Guma and Logo local government areas.
“As a state, Benue will not take the current threat by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore lightly. The law of the land is sacrosanct and must be obeyed by everyone. Any individual or group who wants to breed animals in the state should be prepared to ranch them.
On the “order” given to states by Bodejo to carve out land for grazing reserves/RUGA settlements, the Governor advise the group to exclude Benue from their list as there is no land for open grazing in the state.
Ortom insisted that, Nigerians, irrespective of place of origin and ethnicity, who wish to do lawful business in Benue State are encouraged to do so as the Ortom administration is willing to collaborate with investors in different sectors of the economy.
“The Governor is equally committed to supporting security agencies to guarantee peace in all parts of the state,” he said.