The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, says he is not moved by threats from the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
The group had threatened to drag Ortom’s administration to court after the governor vowed never to allow it to operate a vigilante in the state.
Miyetti Allah also claimed that he was maligning the group in the state, a claim the governor described as a “tissue of lies”.
Ortom, who spoke through a Monday statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, further said that the group’s National President, Abdullahi Bodejo lied when he said that the vigilante was embedded in the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN).
He warned that VGN too was barred from operating in the state.
The statement read, “We read another tissue of lies from the Fulani socio-cultural organization, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, which claimed that its vigilante outfit is embedded in the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, VGN and is already functional in 36 states of the country.
“We state once again that the Fulani vigilante group is not present in Benue and will not under any guise operate in the state.
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“The desperation being exhibited by MAKH to float a security outfit across the country clearly shows that the group has an ulterior motive. After receiving doses of bashing from Nigerians against its first attempt, the pastoralist organization has decided to hide under the canopy of Vigilante Group of Nigeria to actualize their agenda.
“What Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore fails to understand is that Vigilante Group of Nigeria also does not have the constitutional right to operate in all states of this country. The notion that the group is registered with Corporate Affairs Commission does not vitiate any section of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to confer on it the powers to operate in every state of Nigeria.
“Vigilante is a neighbourhood arrangement, not a national programme. It is, therefore, a vain attempt by Miyetti Allah to try to force their security outfit on all states of the federation.
“As Governor Samuel Ortom stated earlier, the vigilante group run by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and Vigilante Group of Nigeria can operate in other parts of the country, except Benue State.
“Regarding the letter Miyetti Allah wrote to the Governor claiming that he maligned them in his statement against their plan to operate a security outfit in Benue State, the Governor’s lawyers will respond to the group. We will not be intimidated or distracted by the antics and threats of the Fulani socio-cultural organization.”
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