Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Sunday threatened to drag a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Garus Gololo, to court if within two days he fails to prove the allegation of him sponsoring militia to kill Fulani people in the state.
In a statement issued and signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, Governor Ortom said that contrary to what Gololo said, all law-abiding Fulanis are living peacefully in the state. He added that there is no attack on Fulani people.
Gololo had accused Governor Samuel Ortom of sponsoring militia to kill Fulani people in Benue State.
Ortom said that Gololo is not new to false and malicious statements, stressing that since he turned down Gololo’s request to be made special adviser, Gololo has continued to launch a ceaseless campaign of calumny and blackmail against him.
He recalled that in January 2018, shortly after armed herdsmen attacked communities in Guma and Logo local government areas killing 73 people, Gololo came out on behalf of the armed Fulani groups and accepted responsibility for the massacre, alleging that the attacks were in retaliation for their cows which he claimed were rustled.
Ortom said, “Security reports however later proved that no Fulani cow was rustled before the 2018 attacks.
“Contrary to his recent claim, there is no attack on a Fulani person in any part of Benue State. All law-abiding Fulanis are living in peace with other Benue people.”
The governor called for the arrest of Gololo who he described as “harbinger of mayhem whose only trade is raising false alarms to throw the society into crisis.
“Gololo is closely working with other enemies of the state and he surely has questions to answer regarding the frequent attacks on innocent Benue people.”
Governor Ortom has asked Gololo to within 48 hours prove the accusation he levelled against him, failure of which he should tender a public apology or face legal action.
The governor urged people of the state and other Nigerians to disregard the alarm and continue to support security operatives with timely and useful information to guarantee the safety of lives and property.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune