Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Sunday restated his calls for the arrest of the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Abdullahi Bodejo, over his alleged threatening comments on media.
Ortom said shocking statement in some dailies credited to the association president in which he threatened that Governors who refuse to establish cattle colonies also known as Ruga settlements will not know peace in their states was inciting.
The governor said part of Bodejo statement read, “…you are a governor and you want to enjoy peace in your state, you don’t need any long meeting, just create a particular area for the Fulani and equip them with modern amenities.”
He reacted that, “the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore’s outing has confirmed the fact that the group is not only responsible for attacks on farming communities in parts of the country but is also determined to reject any method of animal husbandry that does not agree with nomadic cattle breeding and are poised to sponsor violence in states not willing to donate land for open grazing.
“Utterances such as those of Bodejo are inciting and direct invitation for anarchy. No group should be above the law to be dictating to states on how to accord preference to it at the expense of other Nigerians.
“We call for the arrest and prosecution of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore President for persistently making statements capable of stirring crises in the country.”
Ortom emphasised through a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, that Bodejo in the same media reports had singled out Governor Ortom for vilification, saying the governor has been playing politics with the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law to win sympathy and gain advantage.
The governor noted that the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore president vowed that Fulani will never allow the Benue State law on ranching to stand, as he maintained that the statement not only as a real threat to peace but also as prelude to another round of attacks on Benue communities by herdsmen militia.
