…Says, ‘Anything including military options to end killings is welcome’
From: Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
A dejected Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, who met behind closed doors for two hours with President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, over the unending murder of Benue indigenes and farmers by rampaging Fulani herdsmen, has rejected the Federal Government’s plans to establish colonies for cattle rearing.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, had on Monday, had disclosed that everything has been put in place by the Federal Government to establish cattle colonies that would solve the continued herdsmen/farmers conflict in parts of the country.
Ogbeh said at a two day ‘2018 Strategy Retreat’ organised by Synergos for special advisers and directors in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Abuja, that the facilities will be provided to take care of the herdsmen and their cattle, which they (herdsmen) have said if water and grass were provided they would not be moving with their cattle.
According to him, the cattle colony project would start immediately following the offer of five hectares of land each by 16 states in the country, with President Muhammadu Buhari promising to help the ministry with money for the project.
The herdsmen, under the aegis of ‘Myetti Allah Kautal Hore’ have vowed to resist the anti-open grazing law enacted by the state government to check frequent clashes between them and farmers, a development that is believed to have renewed the killings since the beginning of this year.
Emerging from the meeting with President Buhari, Governor Ortom, who said he would support any measure to stop the carnage, however, insisted on ranching of cattle by the herdsmen like is done in other African countries as against the option of creating ‘grazing colonies’.
According to the Governor, “I’m waiting to be briefed about what colonies means. I don’t understand it and until I understand it…but like I keep saying, for us, the way forward is ranching and until this time I am talking to you, the way forward is ranching because it is the global best practice. And it is not just practice in other parts of the world, on African soil in Swaziland, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique almost all African countries that rear cattle, they ranch, so why can’t we do the same thing here.
“For the colony thing I don’t know what colony is.”
Governor Ortom, however, pledged to give all necessary support to the latest security deployment to the state as directed by President Buhari, even as he lamented that the herdsmen only hours earlier attacked a contingent of mobile policemen in the affected area, beheaded two of them and severely injured others.
The governor continued, “I had earlier briefed Mr. President when this incident took place on the 1st of January. After staying back on the ground to do the needful to ensure that we restore normalcy I said it was important for me to come personally and brief him and that has been done.
“Already, because of the communications we have been having when this incidents started, actions have been taken as directed by him. The movement of the DIG, the movement of the IG now to relocate to Benue State to ensure that this challenge is surmounted was at the instance of Mr. President.
“Of course additional personally of DSS and Police have been deployed and even the Army. We have additional personnel on ground now. We have adequately and fully given them the logistics support to ensure that our people are protected.
“I had to brief him, he is also doing further investigation to know the next line of action. I believe that my request that the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, who has earlier threatened and I accused them directly, since June last year I have been writing to the leadership of security agencies, that these people are a threat to our collective interest and they must be dealt with.
“They must be arrested and prosecuted because we cannot allow impunity to continue to thrive. And of course threat and no action has resulted in this killing and I think that Mr. President will also do the needful to ensure something is done.”
On allegations that he hired mercenaries from Republic of Ghana to fight herdsmen he said: “I’m not aware of this and I don’t even know about that one, I’m hearing it for the first time. If someone has done that it must be this Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, that had done it.”
On the allegations that he was blocked from seeing Mr. President, Ortom said, “I have never accused anyone of blocking me from seeing Mr. President. I’m seeing Mr. President. I told you when this incident occurred I spoke to Mr. President on phone and followed it up.
“I know what it entails being a President, even as governor most times I am not with my phone, people cannot access me the way it used to be talk less of a president. I didn’t say that and I have not said it.
“The truth is that I have access to Mr. President anytime I want, I speak to him on phone and I see him personally. I requested to speak to him on phone that day because I couldn’t come to Abuja and he gave me the opportunity and today I’m here and I have seen him.”
On the suggestion that a full military operational base be set up in Benue like in some other parts of the country, the governor said, “Anything that can stop the killings of my people I will go for it, I support it. Any policy or any directive, anything that will helped stop the killing of these innocent people who are not armed because this cannot continue. We know that the continuity of this will create greater challenges. I don’t want it to continue.
“We are struggling with economic issues, we are struggling with political issues and we are struggling with several other issues in this country, security issues and all that, Benue State should not be part of this there is no need for it.
“The law on prohibition of Open Grazing and Establishment of Ranching was made out of the necessity to ensure that we have peace for herdsmen and farmers and that is what we have done. The law seeks to protect all and as I talk to you, except this Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, who are instigating people to fight and to kill us, they are other Fulanimen in Benue State as I talk to you that are doing their businesses.”
On allegation by the Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN Chairman, Benue State chapter, Garos Gololo, that the killings were in retaliation for the theft of 1,000 cows by some people in the state, Governor Ortom said, “You know that man is a liar. Gololo is a liar. He is a wanted man in Benue State. We don’t even know where he is. He stays somewhere and makes allegations. The other time he said 1,000 cattle drowned and the herdsman decided to commit suicide by jumping on to the River. He has not come out to justify what he said.”
On how many ranches his administration have created, the Governor said, “It is not for me to create ranches. I know that as a farmer I have one in my farm and there are several other people who are free to use it. The premises is available for people who want to ranch their cattle to access land and begin to ranch.
“So, it is free for everybody and that is the right way to go. And since we started the implementation there has been relative peace amongst farmers and herdsmen. They were doing well until this militia coming from this Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore came and attacked us.
“And they are known; we know where they are. As I talk to you they are in Tongua in Awe Local Government Area. That is where these people are camped and coming to attack people.
“And it is taking a different dimension. Just yesterday (Monday) in Logo local government, Mobile policemen that were deployed to Logo to keep vigil to protect the people and the land, these militia came, exchange fire with them, caught two of them and slaughtered them like goats, I mean mobile policemen.
“They shot another one, macheted him and left him in the pool of his blood but luckily he did not die. We have taken him to the hospital. We are treating him, the other one that was declared missing was found today (Tuesday).
“So when it gets to the level of militia killing security men who are armed and are trained to protect lives and property, is it not taking a dangerous dimension? Who is now safe?”