ORTOM SAW TOMORROW WHEN OTHERS CHOSE SILENCE
When former Benue State Governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, raised the alarm over armed Fulani militias and demanded that Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and the Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM) be declared terrorist organisations, he stood alone. Many mocked him. They accused him of exaggeration, of playing politics with the nation’s security.
But Ortom refused to be silenced by those who dread the truth. Today, the United States House of Representatives has introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.
The bill targets sanctions against Miyetti Allah groups and Fulani-ethnic militias for religious persecution and mass atrocities across Nigeria.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: GOV ORTOM DID NOT NEGLECT IHYAREV
For years, Ortom had warned that these Fulani groups “vowed and continued to cause mayhem” in Benue State and beyond. He insisted that calling them mere “bandits” was inadequate.
The real sponsors and organised structures behind the violence, he said, must be confronted. Yet, Ortom was vilified. He was isolated, declared persona non grata, and survived assassination attempts.
He paid a heavy political price. But he did not retreat.
When speaking was unsafe, Ortom spoke. When standing was inconvenient, he stood. While others chased political correctness, he chose his pepeople.
Now, as global lawmakers move to hold these terror groups accountable, the world echoes what Ortom said years ago.
This is not politics. It is courage, foresight, and justice.
Chief Samuel Ortom saw tomorrow and refused to trade his people’s safety for applause.
We salute a leader who picked truth over comfort. We commend a man who stood firm in danger. We honour the hero of justice, equality, and fairness.
Leadership is tested not in comfort, but in crisis. While others weighed political costs, Ortom tallied the human toll, the widows, the orphans, the displaced communities.
He rejected normalising bloodshed. He refused to turn tragedy into statistics. He voiced the voiceless when it mattered most.
True leaders are vindicated by time. What was dismissed as alarmism now drives international legislation. What was ridiculed as partisanship is now a global human rights issue.
History rewards courage, and today, it records Ortom’s consistency. To the doubters, facts now speak. To the betrayers, conscience now answers. To justice seekers, remember: one bold voice can shift a nation and rouse the world.
Chief Samuel Ortom did not just govern. He warned, fought, and held ground for his people.
Andrew Longyem
President, Forum of Concerned Nigerians (FCN)
