The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has said he invited the president to condole with people of Benue over the killings in his state but the president failed to honour the invitation.
He also reiterated his earlier stance that President Muhammadu Buhari was not doing enough to curb herdsmen attacks on his state.
The governor made these known in an interview on The Osasu Show.
He said the president was primarily responsible for directing all the security agencies in the country but he failed to secure the lives of Benue people when they were attacked by herdsmen.
Ortom disclosed that there would therefore be no campaign in the state until the crisis is resolved.
He said, “For now, my primary concern is to stop these killings; to ensure that the IDPs go back to their homes and live peacefully. Once that is done, we can talk about other things.
“I don’t care about what happens tomorrow. Even if I am not governor, I can stay back and fight for the right of my people.
“When we visited, we even invited the president to come to Benue state and pay his condolences to his people… Because we are members of the party, he is our president. If these people are attacking us, we expect him to give us security.
“He has done a number of things. He directed NEMA to provide relief materials, he also asked for security to be beefed up but I am not satisfied with what the presidency is doing on this matter. There is no doubt about that.
“I ask for justice for Benue people because we have not been treated fairly.”
Ortom said the herdsmen attacking the state were trying to achieve what Usman Dan Fodio failed to achieve in 1804 during his jihad.
He said the Benue people prevented the Fulani conquerors of that period from creating a pathway from Sokoto through Benue to the sea.
The governor equally said that the Fulani herdsmen were obtaining the support of powerful men in Abuja.
He added, “These people have gone beyond grazing, it is about invading the land and taking over. All the places they have attacked, they have chased the people away and they are using their farmlands produce as feed for their cattle.
“They are conducting international conferences, issuing press releases and writing on social media and they have come out to say look, in 1804 Jihad, it was Benue people that stopped them from penetrating from Sokoto to the sea.
“And this time around, they are not going to stop. They will make sure that the mobilise all Fulani men across the globe, especially from the West African sub-region to ensure that they acquire arms and come and invade and take over the land.
“Because they also said that Nigeria is the only land that God has given them, so no other person will supervene on this land except them. That it is their own land, they got this land by conquest and we have no business staying on this land. It is unbelievable. The statement is coming from Miyetti Allah.
“Well, I wouldn’t know about their patrons or the extent of their involvement. But one thing I know is that the people that have been issuing these press conferences and statements are known. They are living in Abuja, they are living with the powers that be.”
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