PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari said he was disappointed with the comment of Governor of Benue State Samuel Ortom alleging that he was working for Fulani takeover in Nigeria.
Buhari said this in a statement signed by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu on Thursday titled, “Governor Ortom Only Sees The Problems Of Others, He Doesn’t See His Own.”
Shehu, however, said the president expressed his condolences to the families of the citizens who lost their lives in an attack in Benue.
“He also states his disappointment and sadness to hear Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State make a litany of accusations against his person and his government following the recent unfortunate incidents in the state,” the statement read in part.
He noted that no responsible government took pleasure in the killing of the military and tminnocent citizens taking refuge in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, stressing that he was ‘deeply pained’ by the violent attacks across the country.
The statement further read that the lives of fellow citizens should not be “desecrated by deploying them in political diatribe.”
The Presidency also said that the blames and ‘strings of emotional attacks’ by Ortom were deployed for political reasons.
“Those citizens regardless of their affiliations, who either incite, sponsor or are proven to be abettors of these atrocities will face the law squarely and be answerable for their crimes against our fellow citizens and nation,” Shehu said.
Following the attack and killing of some persons in an IDP camp in Benue, Ortom said it was very clear to him that the president was “working for the Fulanis” to take over the whole country.
“His body language is what is being played out. The body language, the action and inaction of Mr. President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this,” Ortom said on April 27, after visiting the scene of the attack.
The governor noted that in about two weeks, over 70 persons had been killed and attacked across three local governments in Benue State.
Shehu’s statement, however, does not reflect the reality on ground as the inaction and sometimes silence of President Buhari after attacks by Fulani herders leave much to be desired.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94
