Ortom Condemns Miyeitti Allah’s Attack On Saraki
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has condemned the attack on Senate president, Senator Bukola Saraki by the national coordinator of Miyeitti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Garus Gololo.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, the governor said he finds it strange that Gololo had not been invited by security operatives for questioning.
Gololo in an interview with a national daily (not Tribune) had said that the Miyeitti Allag asked the Senate President to resign or it will force him out of office.
Ortom said that it was becoming clear by the day that Miyetti Allah groups have not only assumed the position of the ruling party but are also influential to decisions of governance in this country.
“This is not the first time that Miyetti Allah associations have made inflammatory statements. The other time, the groups held press conferences and threatened to unleash terror on Benue people. They made real their threats and came out to claim responsibility for the killing of over 500 innocent Benue people between January and this month. They followed their gory act with threats of more bloodshed in Benue till the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law is suspended.
“The Benue State Government wrote several petitions alerting the country’s security chiefs. Yet, nothing was done and to this day, no Miyetti Allah leader has been invited by security agencies for interrogation.
“Miyetti Allah and the All Progressives Congress, APC now sound like one association with similar objectives. Nigerians should compare the tone of APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole when he threatened that the party would force Senator Saraki out of office if he failed to resign and the latest threat by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association to forcefully evict Senator Saraki from office. The words are similar, the motive the same and the agenda also one,” governor Ortom said.
The governor urged Nigerians to reject any attempt to turn the country into a republic where the life of a cow has greater value than that of a human being.
Reacting to the attack on him, Ortom said he won’t bow to intimidation and harassment from them or any other person.
“The Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law which they hate so much has come to stay and anyone who intends to breed livestock in Benue should be prepared to ranch the animals,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, there are strong indications that the rank and file of the Miyeitti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN have been polarised if what the association national coordinator in Benue, Alhaji Garus Gololo is anything to go by.
Gololo had in an interview with a national daily asked the senate president, Senator Bukola Saraki to resign or be forced out of office.
His outburst had been condemned by the national secretary of the association, Baba Uthman who threatened to sanction him accordingly.
While reacting to the national secretary of the association, Gololo said that he was not surprised because some leaders of the association are members of PDP while he and others in the association belong to APC.
Both the national president, Muhammadu Kirowo and the general secretary are members of PDP, they are not happy with Buhari, in 2015 they campaigned for Good luck Jonathan while I belong to APC.
“I have been supporting Buhari and in any democracy across the world, there is nowhere you see minority ruling majority,” Gololo said.
When asked if he is not afraid of being sanctioned by the leaders of the association, Gololo said he had not contravened the Constitution of the association that could warrant his sanction.
“Who among them can sanction me, I senior both the president and the secretary, they came to meet me in Miyeitti Allah, you can only sanction member if you go against the Constitution of the association and I have not committed crime.
“One of the leaders called me this morning (Wednesday) and asked why did I make the statement and I told him he is a member of PDP and I’m a member of APC and I told him that in democracy, there is no way minority can rule majority,” Gololo said.
