The Benue State people would not thank God enough for saving the life of their ever-loving governor, Governor Samuel Ortom, who escaped from the trap of the assassins alleged to be Fulani herdsmen that had terrorized Benue people and devastated their farms. The governor was said to have been attacked when he visited his farm along Gboko road in Makurdi Local Government, Benue State. He said that “as I talk to you, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke are on them, the police, DSS, and other security personnel because we had to call for reinforcement. Thank God we were able to escape unhurt.”
Governor Ortom noted that “while trekking out of the farm; on our way back, we started hearing gunshots and we saw people a little afar who were dressed in black and from experience, we realized that these were the criminal militia.” He said that one of the plans is to “kill my security aides and capture me alive and gradually kill me. 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 the truth, equity and fairness till when God permits that I will not be here again, then I will go.”
He begged the Federal Government “that if they brought them (Fulani militia) into the country as they are claiming, they should settle them to go back to where they came from so that we can have our peace. Even if it means taxing all of us to settle them to go away so that we can go to farm we will do that. If I cannot go to farm, who else can go to farm in Benue?”
Reacting to Governor Ortom’s attack, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), said “the NGF wishes to state categorically that the attempt to make Benue State ungovernable is unacceptable and will fail woefully. Only recently the brother of one of the former governors of the state was mowed down in cold blood. This dishonourable and shameful act of resorting to violence, for whatever reason, to eliminate citizens of Benue State by brutal means must not continue.” He said “evil will not be allowed to triumph over good, not in Benue and not anywhere in this country,” the statement partly read.”
On his own part, Governor Nyesom Wike, through his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, warned that “if you kill Ortom, then be prepared to bury Nigeria. If anything happens to Governor Ortom, the Federal Government will be held responsible and they should be prepared that there will be no more Nigeria.”
Dr. Bitrus Pogu, the National President of MBF, told Vanguard in Makurdi, that “this attack on Governor Ortom, as far as we are concerned, is tantamount to calling for war. We are not going to allow anyone attack our governors in the Middle Belt. This is an attack that has gone too far. To attack a sitting governor has gone beyond insurgency. It is a call for war and we are going to look at this issue critically.”
On his part, the Chairman of Benue Tribal Leaders, Ihagh, called on “the IGP to immediately arrest them [assassins] for questioning. And we also call on President Muhammadu Buhari to speak up on this matter because our people have become agitated and the tension generated by the attack on our governor is getting to a feverish level.”
The spokesman of People Democratic Party, Kola Ologbondiyan, in his communique, noted that “our party is worried that this brazen attempt at Governor Ortom’s life is coming on the heels of his outspokenness in exposing those allegedly behind the incessant attacks of communities in the state and demanding that the Federal Government live up to its responsibility on the protection of life and property in the state. The PDP fears for the life of Governor Ortom and we urge Nigerians to hold the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration responsible for its failure to take a decisive step to check the escalated insecurity and brazen attacks on innocent Nigerians.”