BENUE KILLINGS: I’m now a target for speaking truth, won’t give up even if I lose my life –Gov Ortom

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom says that he has now become a target and being persecuted for doing what is right.

But he vowed that he will never give up standing for truth against the killings in the state, even if he is to pay the supreme price for his position.
The governor made this known when he spoke to newsmen at the weekend. He alleged that some people had planned to attack him, but vowed that he was not going to stop saying the truth because it was high time people stop promoting sycophancy and mediocrity.

“The Bible says ‘you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ Nigeria today, we have no business being where we are. We would have been far ahead of where we are today. It is just that for a long time, we have suppressed the truth.

“But the truth is that I have decided to offer myself. If it will require me to pay the supreme sacrifice for saying the truth, I am ready to do it because the time has come that we must stop promoting sycophancy and mediocrity.

“We must promote the truth. We must respect the constitution and the rule of law. The constitution and the law of our land is the only thing that can guide us to greater height. It is the only thing that can lead us to where we want to be. It is only thing that can promote and project us to rank with other countries that are doing well.

“Was it not just yesterday we said ‘Ghana must go?’ Why is it that on West African soil today, the whole world is turning their attention, whether in investment or whatever? Ghana has become a reference point against Nigeria,” he said.

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Ortom went further to say that for the intervention of the media that some people would have killed him. He also said that he had suspended every activity concerning the 2019 elections to concentrate on the resolution of the killings of his people by the marauding herdsmen.

He said, “Today, for the persecution that I am going through, for doing what is right, I have become a target. For saying that ‘look, enough is enough, stone age laws should be repealed, even if they were laws or if they were policies, we should discard them because they will not help us.

“The truth is that I felt so sad when the Minister of Defence and followed by the IG (Inspector-General) of Police) were acting the script of Miyetti Allah, instead of doing their jobs that they are collecting tax payers money for every month.

“How can you say that it is the Prohibition of Open Grazing and Provision of Ranching Law 2017 in Benue State that has brought those killings?”

According to the governor, the Fulani herdsmen have been killing people in states that had no anti open grazing law, “this law is a necessity, arising from the killings taking place and for us, we sought to bring a permanent solution to the perennial problem of herdsmen and farmers clashes,” he added.

The governor insisted that the lack of action against perpetrators of the killings was deliberate as the promoters of the violence were known to law enforcement agencies.

 

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