BY HEMBADOON ORSAR MAKURDI
A Group under the aegis of Benue Alliance for Truth and Justice (BATJ) has lamented that, the continuous attacked on Benue Farmers by Armed Fulani Herdsmen has threatened the farming culture of the State, thereby posing a threat to the Country’s food Security.
This is even as the National President, Benue Alliance for Truth and Justice, Peter Shande decried how the State will maintained its Status of Food Basket of the Nation, if the crops therein have become fodder for Cattle and the farmlands become grazing fields.
The group made their feelings known while reacting to comments by the Chairman of the Arewa group, Salihu Mohammed who asked Governor Samuel Ortom to tender apology to Mohammed Bala for accusing him of alleged complicity in herdsmen attack on innocent Nigerians.
Shande insisted that the Alliance stands by Governor Ortom for being on the side of his People through the passing into Law, the 2017 Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, to protect Benue Citizens from incessant attacks by marauding herdsmen.
“We have read the recent statement against Governor Ortom from one Salihu Mohammed claiming to be the Chairman of Arewa Youths for Peace and Development and we say Bala, who call for arm bearing for a particular ethnic group need to apologise to Nigerians”
” It seems the Arewa Youths For Peace and Development and their allies are hired to react to issues affecting governor Bala Mohammed and we are not in any position to stop their humungous harvest from the rich purse of the Bauchi state treasury”
The people of Benue have been victims of Fulani carnage for years. Several communities across the state have been destroyed, Citizens ransac by these armed herdsmen. They have rendered over 800,000 people homeless who are now in IDP camps, how then an elected Governor who took oath to protect lives and properties will stand against his colleagues who have been suffering in the hands of these Herdsmen for the past Six years of being in Governance?
“It was therefore provocative and an insult to the sensibilities of the people of Benue and Nigeria for the Bauchi governor to support Fulani herdsmen to be carrying AK-47 while herding their cattle, this is evil”
“Our take on the spurious demands by the Salihu led Arewa Youth group is that the Fulani menace has dominated the six years Governor Ortom has spent as the Governor of Benue State, It is unfortunate to say that the Governor has buried more citizens killed by the marauding herdsmen than all the past administrations put together, therefore he has every reason to speak out”
“These Herdsmen atrocitities which many people thought will start and end with Benue has now spread to all the Geopolitical zones as well as where the leader of Arewa Youths for Peace and Development came from, so whoever ask Herdsmen to bear arms to protect themselves will one day talk another thing”
