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Ortom to Mohammed: I wonder what you know about armed Fulani herders
BY NICHOLAS ABE
Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has expressed disappointment with his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, who blamed him for the negative perception of Fulani herdsmen.
Mohammed had accused Ortom on Thursday of worsening the farmer-herder crisis through his utterances.
But in a statement issued on his behalf Friday, by his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom said he found it shocking that a colleague, who took the oath of office as he also did, to protect and preserve the Constitution “now takes the lead in violating provisions of the same Constitution by calling for lawlessness”.
Governor Ortom, Daily Trust reports, said the most shocking part of Mohammed’s statement was his defence of herdsmen for bearing arms.
According to the statement, “Governor Ortom wonders which section of the law the Bauchi State Governor cited to support herdsmen’s free movement around the country with sophisticated weapons.
READ: Governor justifies use of guns by Fulani herdsmen, says forests owned by FG
“He recalls that it was the same Governor Mohammed who once said on national television that a Fulani man is a global citizen and therefore does not need a visa to come to Nigeria and that the forests belong to herdsmen.
“Governor Ortom wonders if his friend and colleague in Bauchi State knows a thing or two about the horrendous activities of herders in parts of the country to warrant the emotional defence and justification that he has repeatedly put forward in their favour.”
In reference to Mohammed’s comment that there were Benue people freely doing business in Bauchi and elsewhere, Ortom stated that Benue indigenes in Bauchi had been law-abiding and did not carry arms to attack their hosts.
READ: Nigerians have lost confidence in you – Ortom to Buhari
He noted that Fulani as well as many other Nigerians residing in Benue, who respect laws of the land, also live peacefully with their hosts.
Ortom said his administration had not driven away any law-abiding Nigerian in Benue State.
According to Akase: “The Governor finds it unfortunate that those who are trusted with the people’s mandate and should ordinarily uphold truth and justice have chosen to mislead the country.
“He stresses the need for leaders to be cautious and retrace their steps which are capable of leading the country to anarchy.”