MACBAN after my life, Ortom cries out

Samuel Ortom, governor, Benue state has catigorically accused the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as the people behind an earlier attempt on his life, even as he insisted he was marked for elimination.

Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen militia early Saturday made an attempt to assassinate Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state.

The militia however failed in the attempt to assassinate the governor, as security men attached to his convoy were able to repel the attack.

Governor Ortom who noted that the herdsmen had ambushed him when he went to inspect his farm, explained that he had to run for about one and half kilometers with his security men giving him covering fire to escape the attack.

While he fingered MACBAN in the attack, he pointed out that he has directed his lawyers to petition MACBAN for the attempt on his life, adding that he has since reported the matter to the police.

Briefing newsmen on the circumstances surrounding the attack, Ortom said, “You know today is Saturday and as a farmer, I usually go to my farm, so I went to my farm along Gboko road and on our way back, we started hearing gunshots and we discovered people who were dressed in black and from experience we now discovered that these are fulani militias.

“I didn’t want to take things for granted because few days ago the media were awash with statement from MACBAN who met in Yola, the same place they met in 2016 where they decided that they will take Nigeria and that every other person is a slave, that was when they started infiltrating the entire country.

“They came out with a statement, I was alarmed that they singled me out as the only person who is creating problems for the entire Fulani race and behind the scenes I also heard that in the meeting, I was targeted for elimination; this was the information I got that they will go after me either in my home, farm or wherever they get me.

“And this is not the first time, I heard intelligence report before that these people said that they were going to kill my security aides and then capture me alive and kill me gradually.”

According to him, “Like I always say, my life is in the hands of God not in any Fulani man or anybody, whatsoever and I still remain firm; I will fight for truth, equity and fairness till when God permits I will not be here again, then I can go.

“It is only God that can permit my exit on this earth, not any fulani man. I want to say it boldly they will continue to fail just like they did today.

“I appreciate the security personnel attached to me they were able to repell the assailants and they could not have access to me. I thank God for my fitness to have run for more than one and half kilometers without stopping, it means that God has given me strength, am grateful to God.”

He further said, “Let me quote from Martin Luther King Jr who said, if peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don’t want peace; if peace means willingness to be exploited economically, dominated politically, humiliated and segregated, I don’t want peace. I stand with him (Martin Luther King).

“I’m not going to subject myself to intimidation, I don’t have problem with any Fulani man or the Fulani race but I have problem with Fulani bandits who have vowed to take over Nigeria as there ancestral home.

“And I say no, not when am here and I’m governor leading my state. I’m not concerned about other states, any state that want to give their land and themselves to be slaves to Fulani men I have no problem with them, but in my state, I have consulted with my people and what I’m doing is in line with the wish of my people; on that I stand, I have not infringed on anybody’s right.

“My lawyer is here and is going to make a petition against the leadership of MACBAN because they came out to target me and behind the scene they are planning to eliminate me on my own land. If I can’t go to the farm as governor with entire security around me then who else can go to farm? You can imagine the pains that we have here in Benue state!”

On the letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, he thanked the President “who responded to my letter that anyone with AK 47 should be shot at sight. I have reported this to the security agencies and I hope that this will be done so that the land will be saved for our people to go to farm and do their work and survive and live good life.

“Here in Benue state, we are not against Fulani men, be it Hausa, Igbo any tribe even white people, we are ready to provide land for ranching that is what the law says. I don’t know what sort of Fulani men who come from Niger, Mali, Chad and Senegal and other parts of the world.

“They have destroyed Mali completely, nothing is happening there, they have destroyed Libya, they have destroyed several other countries with their aggression and they think they can come here and destroy Nigeria. I don’t know what they mean.”, he stated.