Ortom fueling ethnic, religious crisis, says Presidency

The Presidency has accused Benue Governor Samuel Ortom of fanning ember of ethnic and religious crisis in his State, steering up a Rwandan-styled crisis.

The governor was also accused of deliberately escalating the farmers/herders crisis in his State, thereby causing more deaths of the innocent.

It stated this in a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

It, however, claimed that the governor chose the path of festering ethnic and religious wounds among the people in the state because of an alleged exclusionist agenda against a particular ethnic group, which it said the governor is concealing in the Ranches Establishment Law.

According to the statement, the said Ranches Establishment Law is a ploy to withhold rights and freedom from the targeted ethnic group.

It stated, “Governor Samuel Ortom has few political principles. We can see this from the fact that he has changed political party five times during his undistinguished career.

“Every time he feels the wind may be blowing in a certain direction, he follows it.

“Unfortunately, for the good citizens of Benue State, the most dangerous direction he blows in today is that of sectarianism and ethnicity.

“In an attempt to boost his sinking political fortunes, Ortom takes the cheapest and lowest route possible by playing on ethnic themes – and in doing so knowingly causes deaths of innocent Nigerians by inciting farmers against herders, and Christians against Muslims.

“Specifically, Ortom stirs up hatred by targeting one single ethnic group in Nigeria – using language reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide.

“As was the case in Rwanda where the then Hutu leaders of the country incited their countrymen against each other, claiming there was a ‘secret Tutsi agenda’ over the Hutu, Ortom claims there is a ‘secret Fulanization agenda’ over other ethnic groups in his state and in Nigeria. This is a copy of the language of Hutu Power – which falsely, and intentionally, accused the Rwandan Tutsi of plans to dominate the country.”