Ortom Furious with Dan Alli, Says Cows, Herdsmen now Have Immunity, Alleges Aides Misleading Buhari

Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom has condemned the statement by the Minister of Defence where he claimed that the reason for the recent attack and killings of people in Benue State and other parts of Nigeria by Fulani headsman was due to the enactment of anti-open grazing laws of the states.

This is as the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the minister of Defence retired Major General Mansur Dan-Ali to stop providing subtle justification for the dastardly criminal attacks by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen and charged President Muhammadu Buhari to rejig the composition of the security council to avoid ethnicising issues.

The governor who was visibly angry over the statement accused top aides of the presidency of conspiracy and backing the killings in Benue state.

The Governor spoke when he received the Bishop and Founder of World Harvest Ministry Leonard Kawas in Makurdi.

He said the comments coming from top appointees of the president clearly showed there were self-serving people who were giving the president bad advice.

“Well, it is unfortunate but I want to console myself that this thing is not coming from the Honourable Minister, but if it did, I will say that it is very unfortunate. The solution to the security challenges we have in this country is not in sight having those kind of people in power who are not able to give quality advice and to also proffer solutions to the security problems we have here.

“Take for instance, if you say it is because of the law that killings by herdsmen are going on in Benue, is there any law prohibiting open grazing in Adamawa State? Is there any law in Plateau State? Is there any law in Kaduna, Ondo, Bayelsa, Imo, Ebonyi, Delta or Edo States? In Edo state, cattle have taken over even schools.”

He berated the federal government for trying to cause unnecessary distraction and finding covers for the action of the headsmen.

He insisted that it is only in Nigeria that cows and headsmen were having immunity like president and governors.

“The federal government has provided immunity for headsmen and their herds or how come these people are moving around freely with weapons and disobeying laws of the land without government arresting them” He said what the minister of defence said was an insult to the people of Benue adding that the minister and others were dancing on the graves of those killed.

According to the Governor, those around Buhari were out to divert attention from the killing by herdsmen by accusing him of raising 6000 militias.

“I own no militia and I have been an advocate of amnesty to criminals were we succeeded in disarming and destroying over seven hundred arms since I became governor so it’s just an attempt to divert attention”, Ortom insisted.

He said the statement from the minister was provocative, insisting that he would see the minister to ask why he made such statement.

He also emphasised that ranching was the only acceptable way to stop the killings by herdsmen while stating that Benue people would never accept grazing routs or colonies.

In his reaction Arch Bishop Kawas who led the International Communion of Charismatic and Evangelical Bishops and Apostles (ICCEBN) prayed against the occupation of Benue by the headsmen.

He said he was in the state to condole the governor over the killing of 73 persons even as he condemned those behind the attack.

He said Nigerian most learn to obey the laws of the land .

“When Zamfara State introduced sharia law, nobody from Benue state went and argued against it so I wonder why they should disobey a grazing law that will bring peace among the headers and farmers in Benue state.

He said Benue has a constitutional right to enact the anti-open grazing law which he said most be obeyed by the headsmen.

HURIWA regretted the statement credited to the Minister of Defence which affirmed that the proliferation of anti-open grazing laws in different states of the federation and blockade of so-called grazing routes were responsible for bloody violence unleashed by armed Fulani herdsmen, was unpatriotic and unstatesmanly even as it accused the presidency of pampering suspected armed Fulani herdsmen because of similarity in ethno-religious affiliations with all heads of internal security agencies under President Buhari including the defence minister who is Fulani also.

According to the body, “In order to douse the mutual mistrust that has been further exacerbated and heightened by the unacceptable statement of subtle justification of the attacks as contained in the reported media statement of the serving Defence Minister who is of Hausa/Fulani ethnicity, HURIWA has once more called on President Buhari to respect the constitutional provision of federal character principle and to commence the immediate and comprehensive reconstitution of the national security team to reflect the Federal character of Nigeria and end the ugly era of the Fulanisation of national security team.

“Specifically, Section 42 (1) (2) of the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeris of 1999 (as amended) averred that: “(1) A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person – (a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government to disabilities or restrictions to which citizen of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or (b) be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizen Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions; (2) No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth”.

“HURIWA insists that the lopsided domination of the Security forces by Hausa/Fulani Ethnicity is a grave breach of the extant provision as cited above even as the selective appointments of persons from one section of Nigeria amounted to discrimination which is absolutely illegal and unconstitutional.

“Nigerians expect the holder of the high office of Defence Minister to be patriotic enough to denounce blood cuddling terror attacks being masterminded by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen, but what has come out from the meeting of President Buhari’s security meeting as relayed by the Defence Minister shows that the current administration is not determined to arrest, prosecute and punish all perpetrators of the bloody killings in Benue, Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa and Enugu states suspected to be armed Fulani herdsmen but rather the national security forum has now become the mouthpiece of cattle owners who are mostly Fulani”.

“The current administration must respect the constitution and provide security to lives and property of the citizens and should desist from making irresponsible and insensitive statements which may be construed as seeking justification for the numerous bloody attacks waged by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen”.

“The claim that anti-open grazing laws and the blockade of grazing routes for the attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen is shocking and alarming to have emanated from someone whose salaries are maintained by the tax payers of all ethno-religious components that make up the Nigerian state. The Defence Minister must be sanctioned by relevant authorities for issuing this callous and insensitive statement which amounts to dancing on the graves of the thousands of innocent Nigerians massacred by armed Fulani herdsmen in the last three years since Buhari came into office”.

Stating that states have the constitutional powers to make laws to guarantee security of lives and property of their citizens which is what the anti-open grazing laws means, HURIWA referred the Defence minister to the Constitution in Section 11 (1) (2) which provide thus: “(1) The National Assembly may make laws for the federation or any part thereof with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order and providing, maintaining and securing of such supplies and services as may be designated by the National Assembly as essential supplies and services; (2) Nothing in this section shall preclude a House of Assembly from making laws with respect to the matters referred to in this section, including the provision for maintenance and securing of such supplies and services as may be designated by the National Assembly as essential supplies and services”.