Nigerians should not politicise my attack, Ortom declares

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on Monday, called on Nigerians not to politicise the attack on him, stating that it was past partisan politics.

Ortom, on Saturday, had disclosed that around 15 herders, who were clothed in black, shot at him and his escort on his farm, where he asserted that he had to run a distance of about 1.5 kilometres to get away.

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom

However, speaking to reporters, on Monday, after the State Security Council meeting at the New Banquet Hall of the Government House, Makurdi, Ortom declared that he was not the first governor to be assaulted recently.

He said, “The Borno State Governor, who is an APC governor, was once attacked. It is me today; it may be another person tomorrow.

“What we need is that all of us should join hands together to stop this because our country is sitting on a keg of gunpowder and we should avoid anything that can make it explode.

“Even when this thing happened, there were patriotic Fulani men who called, so it is beyond partisan politics because any life lost can never be restored.”

While commending the Inspector-General of Police’s decision, Mohammed Adamu, to investigate the incident, the governor stated that he was expecting to be called by the investigating team.

Ortom further said that this was not the first time the Fulani Nationality Movement would threaten him and execute the threat.

He said, “In 2018 when 73 people were killed, FUNAM claimed responsibility. When people were killed in June same year in Plateau, FUNAM came out and claimed responsibility and now they have claimed responsibility.

“Two weeks ago, Miyetti Allah Kataore held a meeting in Yola and singled me out as the one creating problems for the Fulani race in Nigeria and I am not against anyone. Many of them live happily in Benue and are doing their legitimate business.”

In addition, the minority group in the House of Representatives has declared that it is terrified by the attack on the governor.

According to a statement on Monday by Ndudi Elumelu, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the group demanded a thorough investigation of the matter with the aim of bringing the attackers and their perpetrators to justice.

The statement read in part, “The attack on Governor Ortom has again brought to the fore, apprehensions of alleged lapses in our security architecture, particularly given that the attack came on the heels of his continuous distress call to the Federal Government to take decisive steps to guarantee the security of life and property in his state.”