By Solomon Jootar
In the last one year, nearly 2,000 Benue people, among them children, women, the elderly and other vulnerable persons have been killed in separate attacks by killer herdsmen and other bandits. Out of that number, 90% are from the three local government areas that make up the part of Benue State known as Sankera. These local governments are Katsina-Ala, Logo and Ukum.
Former Governor of the state, Senator Gabriel Suswam hails from Sankera. He won his first ever election to become a member of the House of Representatives in 1999 for Sankera. Suswam became governor of Benue State in 2007 also because Sankera was one of the intermediate areas favoured to get the seat. He won senatorial election in 2019 also to represent Benue North East because Sankera is part of that senatorial district.
Sadly, despite all the political gains and juicy positions Suswam has occupied in the lengthy period spanning over two decades, he has chosen to abandon his people in their time of extreme pain and distress when they need him the most!
Since the present Governor Hyacinth Alia suspended the Anti-Open Grazing Law of Benue State and allowed Fulani to return to the state in thousands with their cattle and resumed attacks and killings on the farmers, Suswam has not bothered to utter a word of condemnation. He has not visited even a single community in the three local governments of Sankera. Today, the Zaki-Biam Yam Market which is the biggest in West Africa is destroyed and deserted! Ayati, a hitherto bustling community in Ukum is desolate with only domestic animals roaming around while their owners have either been killed or have managed to flee the town.
Suswam is silent and not bothered! He has found a willing ally in Governor Alia. They are in an unholy relationship and conspiracy of silence over the killings. Alia was reportedly sponsored by Fulani elites to become governor and hand over Benue lands to them to occupy, and he is doing exactly that. He has not purchased even a single patrol vehicle for security agencies despite increasing his security votes to N1.5 billion monthly. The governor accuses his own people of being the aggressors and for rustling Fulani cows. He addresses the Sultan of Sokoto as his “father”. Fulani have assured Alia and Suswam that as long as they remain loyal to them, the duo will continue to enjoy their patronage.
Suswam has concluded plans to join Alia’s faction of All Progressives Congress (APC). The governor has promised to remove Senator Emmanuel Udende and return Suswam to the Senate. This is why the former governor has become almost like a personal assistant to Governor Alia and is seen around him everywhere he goes.
Suswam has always been known to be one who only cares about his personal interests. He is one of the luckiest Benue sons. He rose from nowhere to become a wealthy man at a very young age using public funds. Today, he has multi-million investments in Abuja, Lagos, Makurdi and overseas. He owns one of the biggest markets in Abuja and luxury hotels home and abroad. He has more than five palatial houses in Makurdi, Katsina-Ala and his home town Anyiin. He owns a polytechnic and established a gigantic rice factory known as Ashi Rice. It is public knowledge that Suswam bought the highest shares to acquire the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED). He also owns the Dunes Hotel, Abuja and is the owner of Metropolitan Hotel Makurdi. If not with public funds, where did he get money to own the exotic properties?
We have not forgotten how Suswam secretly sold Benue State shares in Dangote Cement Plc, worth more than N6 billion through Elixir Investment Partners, a fund management and advisory firm. The government under him offloaded 29.19 million units of the shares valued at N6.40 billion. He also sold over N3 billion worth of the state holdings in Julius Berger and other public assets and diverted the money to his personal use. The case against him is still in court.
It is a shame that personal ambition has driven away Gabriel Suswam’s conscience to abandon his people; the same people he hopes to win election and lead again. But will he be leading the people in their graves if all of them are wiped out before 2027?
Those who are close to Governor Hyacinth Alia should tell him that in 2023, he won election in Sankera and he will likely return there in 2027 to seek votes again!
Jootar is an IDP from Ukum, Benue State.
