Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has expressed gratitude to God for saving him from attack by Fulani militia.
The Next Edition reported that Ortom was attacked on Saturday morning while on his way to his farm along Gboko road in Makurdi.
Briefing journalists about his ordeal, Governor Ortom who expressed appreciation to his security aides for repelling the attackers also thanked God for good health and strength to escape from the attackers.
According to Governor Ortom, “I thank God for my fitness to have run for more than one and half kilometers without stopping it means that God has given me strength, I am grateful to God.”
He has, however, decided that he would make a petition against the leadership of Miyetti Allah because they were responsible for making arrangements to try to eliminate him
“But I want to assure them that until God permits they cannot do that because I have not committed any crime, I have not done any evil against anybody throughout my more than 40 years of being in politics, I have not injured anyone with a pin talkless of knife. I have not done it because that is not the way to go.”
Speaking at the Government House after his escape, Ortom explained that “today is Saturday and is normal as a farmer, I usually go to my farm, so I went to my farm along Gboko road and on our way back, we started hearing some gunshots and we discovered people who were dressed in black and from our experience, it was very clear that these are fulani militias.
“I do not want to take things for granted because few days ago the media were awash with statement from MACBAN who met in Yola, the same place they met in 2016, and decided that they must take Nigeria as their country and that every other person living here must be a slave. That was how they started inflitrating the entire country.
“They came out with a statement, I was alarmed for singling me out as the only person who is creating problems for the entire fulani race in this country and behind the scene, I also heard that in the meeting, I was targeted for elimination. This was the information I got that they will go after me either in my home, farm or wherever they get me.
“And this is not the first time. I had intelligence report before that these people said that they were going to kill my security aides and then capture me alive and give me gradual killing.
“But like I always say, my life is in the hands of God not in the hands of any fulani man or anybody whatsoever and I still remain firm. I will fight for truth, equity and fairness till when God permits that I should not be here again, then I can go. It is only God that can permit my exit on this earth not any fulani man, I want to say it boldly. They have no right, they will continue to fail just like they did today.
The Governor appreciated the security personnel attached to him for repellng the attackers and preventing them from having access to him.
“I thank God for my fitness to have run for more than one and half kilometers without stopping. It means that God has given me strength and I am grateful to God.
“Let me quote from Martin Luther King Jr who said, “if peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don’t want peace. If peace means willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don’t want peace. I stand with him.”
Ortom who vowed not to subject himself to intimidation of anyone pointed out that “I don’t have problem with any fulani man or fulani race but I have problem with fulani bandits who have vowed to take over Nigeria as their ancestral home and I say no. Not when I’m here and I’m the governor leading my state. I am not concerned about other states, any state that want to give their land and themselves to be slaves to these fulani men; I have no problems with them. But in my state, I have consulted with my people and what I’m doing is in line with the wish of my people. On that I stand, I have not infringed on anybody’s right.
“My lawyer here is going to make a petition against the leadership of MACBAN because they came out to target me and behind the scene they are planning to eliminate me on my own land. If I can’t go to the farm as governor with entire security around me then who else can go to farm. You can imagine the pains that we have here in Benue State.”
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He thanked God for Mr. President who responded to his letter with an order that anyone with AK47 should be shot at sight. I’m yet to see that. Let me see it happening in Benue State. I have reported this to the security agencies and I hope that this will be done so that the land will be saved for our people to go to farm and do their work and survive and live good life.
“Here in Benue State, we are not against fulani men, be it Hausa, Igbo, any tribe even white people, we are ready to provide land for ranching that is what the law says.
“We are not against fulani people who legitimately want to do their business here including cattle rearing but you must ranch, that is the law and we are in a democratic era and democracy is anchored in the rule of law.
“I don’t know why people will come from somewhere and think that they will not obey the laws of the land. If everybody will take, if all of us decide to be lawless, if all of us decide to take guns and go after people or our perceived enemies, there will be lawlessness, there will be anarchy and who knows what will happen,” Ortom said.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call on the security agencies to fish out these people. He informed that “they are in the forest between Makurdi and Abinsi. They are living there and coming out to commit atrocities and evil, killing our people, maiming them, raping women and destroying our farm lands.
“And anytime our Livestock Guards and security agencies go after them, the run back into the forest across the river. This is not fair.
“I am not a second class citizen to anyone in this country. I pay my tax just like any other person and I am law abiding and I hope that the security agencies will question these people why they should single me out in their Yola meeting and behind the scene giving orders for me to be eliminated.
“I am going to make a petition to the President and the security agencies for the leadership of Miyetti Allah to be arrested. What they are doing is not correct and government must not fold its hands,” he said.