FULANIS’ PERSISTENT THREATS AGAINST ORTOM: A CALL FOR ACTION

We have watched some disturbing viral videos on social media in recent days, posted by Fulani extremists threatening to eliminate the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, for what the Fulanis claim to be Ortom’s “sins” against them while he served as governor of the state.

This time, the Fulanis have come out boldly with videos boasting about their capacity and tenacity to get their targets, no matter how long it takes. In one of the videos, two Fulani terrorists are seen heaping insults and threats on Chief Ortom and vowing that they must kill him someday:
“If we had killed this man, Benue would have been at peace. Come and see him (Ortom), stupid thief. If he is killed, Benue will know peace. Let God put this one in our hands; let’s finish him. God, please push this one our way; let’s finish him. Come, come, come and insult him. Use Pidgin English, use any language, insult him.”

In the second video, another Fulani man is seen uttering similar invectives against Chief Ortom:
“Ortom, better mind yourself. You are the one that caused all Benue’s problems. This present Governor of Benue, he is trying very well; he wants Fulanis to stay in peace with the people.”

His Excellency Ortom’s only “crime” against Fulanis is that he stood doggedly for his people and resisted the takeover and occupation of Benue lands by invading Fulanis. Governor Ortom rejected their lures and juicy offers when they approached him on several occasions to betray the Benue people, including repealing the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017 enacted by his administration. The Fulanis worldwide have not forgiven Chief Ortom; they have vowed never to do so.

To demonstrate their hatred and anger towards the former Benue governor, key Fulani figures and leaders came out publicly with their anti-Ortom campaigns. Similarly, various Fulani socio-cultural organizations have repeatedly expressed hostility towards Chief Ortom, threatening and even attempting to take his life on several occasions.

Below are some examples of threats, assassination attempts, and hate speeches by Fulani leaders and groups – all aimed at profiling Chief Ortom and making him a target for elimination.

On May 30, 2017, barely a week after Governor Ortom signed the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, led by its President Abdullahi Bello Bodejo and Secretary Saleh Alhassan, addressed a press conference in Abuja, where they vowed to mobilize Fulani fighters across West Africa to invade Benue State and resist the enforcement of the law. The group issued threats against Governor Ortom, whom they called unprintable names.

A few months later, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), through its National Secretary Malam Ibrahim Galma, vowed that Fulanis would never obey the Benue anti-open grazing law. The group also made scathing statements against Chief Ortom and demanded that he should repeal the law.

Similarly, the Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM) issued an even more dreadful statement in 2018, vowing that the only way to achieve peace in Benue State was the elimination of then-Governor Samuel Ortom. The statement, signed by the group’s spokesman Umar Amir Shehu, said Ortom stood against open grazing and Fulani interests in the country, and that the solution was to get him out of their way.

Many other threats have been issued by Fulani groups against Chief Ortom, who refused to give in to their war of attrition and blackmail.

On March 20, 2021, Governor Ortom narrowly escaped an assassination attempt along the Gboko-Makurdi road. FUNAM claimed responsibility for the attack in a press statement titled “Why we attacked Ortom,” stating:
“Yes, we did. The Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM) carried out the attack. We have genuine reasons. We acted on behalf of millions of Fulani people in 15 countries.
“It’s a case of vengeance against an infidel who has used his time and money to destroy Fulani values and inheritance.
“Our courageous fighters carried out this historic attack to send a great message to Ortom and his collaborators: Wherever you are, once you are against Fulani long-term interests, we shall get you down. This is a clear warning. We hope those who take us for granted will get the indisputable message.
“Our intention is unequivocal: TO KILL HIM. That mission will one day be fulfilled and very soon too.”
“Eleven FUNAM operatives were involved in the attack. Ortom escaped today because of a slight technical communication error. Next time, he will not be so lucky. We can assure him and his supporters,” FUNAM stated.

On May 7, 2021, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State launched an unprovoked media attack on Governor Ortom, accusing him of using insecurity in his state to criticize President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and, by extension, the Fulani race.

In October 2022, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, while addressing an interactive forum organized by the Arewa Consultative Forum in Kaduna, accused Governor Ortom of profiling Fulanis. Atiku claimed he had “a big quarrel with Ortom over his administration’s decision to ban open grazing in the state.”

In February 2023, 52 Fulani personalities, led by the deposed Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, signed an open letter to their patron, then-President Muhammadu Buhari, leveling various accusations against Governor Ortom in an apparent attempt to incite hatred, vilification, and attacks against him. The Fulani elites accused Chief Ortom of being responsible for the killing of some pastoralists at Akwanaja in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State via a bomb attack.

On April 9, 2023, the Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM), after a meeting in Zamfara State, issued a communique celebrating the election victory of Governor Hyacinth Alia in Benue State. The group again targeted Governor Ortom:
“We warned the so-called Ortom, who claims to be the governor of Benue State, that we would come for him and take Benue. He thought we were joking. Was he not defeated by our candidates in the governorship, senatorial, and state assembly elections?
“We will make Ortom pay for all the pains he caused our people over the past eight years. We told him he would not be able to install another anti-Fulani governor as his successor, but he ignored our warning. Today, he knows better,” FUNAM stated.

The renewed threats in viral videos on social media by Fulani terrorists confirm that they are still on the trail of Chief Ortom.

*OUR STAND*

We want to unequivocally state that the threats by Fulanis against Chief Samuel Ortom cannot be taken lightly. The descendants of Usman Dan Fodio are known for monitoring their targets for as long as it takes. But what Fulani terrorists must understand is that they will have all of us Benue people who supported Governor Ortom and demanded the enactment of the law to ban open grazing to contend with.

Fulanis should not think they have a monopoly on threats and intimidation. Chief Ortom cannot be vilified and eliminated for doing what any good and patriotic leader would do for his people.

Ortom did what the people of Benue asked him to do, and he owes no Fulani terrorist an apology. He rejected the billions of naira they promised him, among other juicy offers, and refused to betray his people.

Millions of Benue people are grateful to Chief Ortom and stand solidly behind him. No weapon fashioned against him by Fulani terrorists and their sponsors shall prosper.

*OUR DEMANDS*

1.We call for the immediate arrest of the individuals in the Fulani viral videos who have threatened that Chief Ortom must be eliminated. They posted the said videos on their social media handles, so they can be traced easily for arrest.

2. We call on the Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to beef up security around Chief Ortom and his family immediately.

3. We caution Fulani elites and extremists against further threats targeting the former Benue governor, and we demand that they tender an unreserved apology for the years of profiling he has endured.

4. We also call for the deployment of armed security personnel to the Makurdi-Lafia road, where Fulani terrorists have vowed to ambush Benue indigenes, especially travelers of Tiv origin, for execution.

5. We urge the Governor of Nasarawa State, His Excellency Abdullahi Sule, to support security agencies in flushing out terrorists who are occupying forests along the state’s border communities with Benue, from where attacks are launched against Benue people.

Signed:
Enoch Bemshima Ortese
President
Benue Advocacy Network (BAN)