‘Miyetti Allah organisation doesn’t kill; we are not killers, so why should we apologise?’

National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore socio-cultural organisation, Abdullahi Bodejo, has said that there was no basis for Fulani herdsmen to apologise to Governor Samuel Ortom over alleged killings of Benue people.

This came as Governor. Samuel Ortom  of Benue on Thursday warned livestock owners in the state against infringements on the state’s Anti Open Grazing law.

Speaking with the Sun, on reports that the Fulani cattle breeders association had apologised to Governor Ortom Bodejo said that there was no basis for any apology because his members never killed anyone.

He said: ‘I am the national president of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, I didn’t apologise to anybody; our organisation didn’t apologise to anybody because Fulani herdsmen didn’t kill or hasn’t killed anybody. I was surprised where journalists got that story. Maybe, the journalists wanted story to sell their papers. It is fake news.

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I’m not surprised that the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ortom was behind this; Tiv people are very good in propaganda. Ortom used propaganda and the anti-grazing law to win his second term election.

Our National Secretary, Saleh Alhassan followed his friend, the chairman of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema to Benue for a function; yes, Engineer Saleh has the right to attend any occasion in any part of this country, but not to go and apologise to anybody on what we didn’t do. The Fulani didn’t commit any offence to warrant any apology.

Thank God that the chairman of Air Peace, who is not a Fulani has come out to put the story straight that our secretary didn’t apologise to anybody at the meeting. I’m the president of the organisation and we have a national executive that the journalists could have called to verify. I’m telling you that Saleh didn’t apologise. Apologise for what and to whom?

Miyetti Allah organisation doesn’t kill; we are not killers, so why should we apologise? It is Ortom that should apologise for killing Fulani. The only thing we are fighting is the anti-open grazing law, we are in court and we will continue to pursue it in the court till we have victory. We are in court because we can’t allow that law to work.

We are insisting that Ortom should apologise to our organisation. He is looking for every avenue to justify his anti-grazing law. He should apologise to Fulani in Nigeria for killing them, for destroying their businesses and damaging our names.

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They are now rearing cows; none of these cows belongs to Fulani; they have collected the business of rearing cows from the Fulani; they have succeeded in pushing Fulani out of Benue State in order to take over their business of rearing cows. Ortom is also rearing cows.

Nigerians have come to understand that cattle rearing is a very lucrative business, and so that is why they are pursuing the Fulani in order to take over their business.

Gov. Samuel Ortom  of Benue on Thursday warned livestock owners in the state against infringements on the state’s Anti Open Grazing law.

Ortom gave the warning in a statement issued by Mr Terver Akase, the Chief Press Secretary in Makurdi.

He cautioned livestock owners in the state to abide by the requirements of the law by properly ranching their animals and warned that defaulters of the law would be sanctioned.

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The governor was irked by the sight of herds of cattle roaming Makurdi metropolis and ordered the livestock guards to immediately swing to action and impound them.

“The governor directed livestock guards to immediately impound the animals and take them to the quarantine unit where they will remain for seven days until the requisite fine is paid or auction them.”

Ortom said that the law did not accord preferences to any individual or group, whether or not they were Benue indigenes.

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“Herders who refuse to keep their livestock in ranches will be prosecuted in accordance with provisions of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017.”

He therefore called on Benue people to volunteer information regarding open grazing of animals to livestock guards, saying officers and men of the agency could not be everywhere.