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Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom, Terver Akase, has explained why the Benue State government has appealed to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to suspend its decision to withdraw Operation Whirl Stroke from the state. Akase posited that withdrawing the troops just while the internally displaced persons who have been in camps for over two years now are considering returning to their ancestral homes could be dangerous. He spoke on various issues.
What is the reaction of the Benue State government to the recent plan by the Federal Government to withdraw military troops from states where they have been keeping peace and security?
The government and people of Benue State appreciate Mr. President and the Federal Government of Nigeria for listening to the unanimous request of Benue people earlier on to replace Exercise Ayem Akpatuma with Operation Whirl Stroke which has done a very good job in the past one year, restoring relative peace in troubled parts of the state such as Guma, Logo and some other local government areas. So, we appreciate Mr. President. The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom led the call on behalf of his people to demand for a full military operation because the menace of herdsmen was becoming a real source of concern not just for Benue people but also for the entire region. And when Mr. President approved the deployment of Operation Whirl Stroke, the difference was instantly seen. And today, many of those people who were displaced have begun to go back to their ancestral homes even though there are many more left in the camps, we are hoping and believing that the troops will not be withdrawn yet because we don’t have complete peace yet in those areas. The trouble is just not yet over. That’s why the government of Benue State has appealed to Mr. President. In fact, the governor met with him (President Buhari) and we understand that the process has begun to see what the Federal Government can do to extend the stay of Operation Whirl Stroke in Benue. So, we would appreciate if this is done because our people deserve the security that is being given them at the moment and we hope that the presidency will respond positively to the call for the extension of the lifespan of Operation Whirl Stroke in Benue State.
What is the level of compliance to the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in the state?
The law has been a success story since 2017 when it was enacted. A number of people who have violated the law have been arrested and some have already been convicted. We are hoping that if this continues, order is already being restored. People now know that it is an offence to openly graze livestock in Benue State and that is what the people want. The people have said through their representatives in the Assembly and the state executives council that open grazing is prohibited and it has become a law. So, the law is in full force and the Livestock Guards have been doing very well. Also, the Security agencies like the Police, the DSS and others have also cooperated with us and it’s a success story. Open grazing has been phased out in Benue State and anyone who is thinking that it’s a joke is dreaming because if you violate the law, the law will take its course. You will be arrested and your animals impounded and detained for one week after which if you don’t come to pay the requisite fines, the animals will be auctioned according to the provisions of the law.
Now, the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been in camps at least in the last two years. Why have they not gone back home and how long more are they going to stay in camps?
It’s a sad story but the government of Benue State has done everything within its limit to sustain the IDPs and to cater for them. We appreciate some development partners, civil society organizations who came in to lend a helping hand. But you know that the resources of the Benue State government has been overstretched and that’s why we are hoping that with the presence of Operation Whirl Stroke, gradually these people will be relocated to their ancestral homes. But you can’t just do that now and ask all of them to vacate the camp. Because if you move them into their homes without the presence of security, you will endanger them. So, it is better to allow the security presence to be here as you move them since the movement of these people from the camps have to be in phases and gradually too. Some have left the camps to go back to their homes to see how they can put up their destroyed homes and then do one or two farming activities so that when they go back, they will have something to sustain themselves with. It’s not something you just do by moving people into an empty space. It will be worse than keeping them in the camps if you do that. So, that is why we are hoping that the Federal Government will extend Operation Whirl Stroke here so that we continue to push the relocation process of these people to their homes.
There’s this insinuation that the IDPs were kept for electoral purpose and that now that Governor Ortom has won the election, he is no longer giving them the attention he was giving them during the election. What’s your reaction to this?
No! That’s not true. Remember that even then, the governor wasn’t going to the camps everyday. He has representatives, he has an Executive Secretary on Benue State Emergency Management Agency and it is the job of that agency to look after these people in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders. So, it is not the job of the governor to be going to camps everyday but he has been going and he keeps tab on what goes on in all IDP camps in the state. Every now and then, the ES of SEMA comes to brief the governor on progress being made in the camps and how some of these people are moving back to their homes. So, the governor has not abandoned the IDPs. He loves them and he wishes that all of them can move in one day if it’s possible. If it were possible, these people would have long gone back to their ancestral homes but it’s a security matter. It’s not something you just do in a fiat like that.
Across the country today, we have the biting effect of insecurity. This has made the South Western governors to come together to launch a security outfit codenamed Operation Amotekun. Are we expecting any such regional security outfit coming up from the North Central anytime soon?
It’s not something that one governor will just make a categorical pronouncement about. This is something that has to do with a region. As you mention, it’s the decision of the entire South Western states which came together and resolved on what they want to do. So, if anything of that nature is going to happen in the North central region, it will not be a decision of Governor Samuel Ortom to make or to impose on the rest of his colleagues. But I believe that the governors of this region have been meeting too and it’s something that if they consider to be important for the region, why not? They will look at it and see what they can do for the benefit of their people.
Alright, a little away from issues of insecurity now. Recently, we heard that Minister for Special Duty and Intergovernmental Affairs made an uncomplimentary remark on the Paramount ruler of the Tiv nation and the Chairman of Benue State Traditional Council. A lot of groups have come up to condemn that alleged uncomplimentary statement against the Tor Tiv. Now, some people are of the opinion that those groups that are coming out are being sponsored by the state government. Can you react to this?
The straight question to this is did Governor Ortom ask Senator Akume to go and insult the Tor Tiv?. If he went and insulted the Tor Tiv and Tiv sons and daughters have found that unpalatable and uncomplimentary to their paramount ruler and they are calling and asking to apologise publicly, how does Governor Ortom come in? Is it Governor Ortom that asked him to make a public statement against the Tor Tiv? Was the governor there when he made those statements? No. So, where does the governor come in here? I can’t find the place of the governor here. Has the governor made any public statement in this matter since it started? No. The groups that are speaking are doing that on their own. How would you tell me that former Governor Gabriel Suswam now a Senator, will be twisted into making a public statement by the governor? How would you convince me that Senator Abba Moro, a former Minister will be conscripted into something he doesn’t want to do? And you want to tell me that Senator Oker Jev who has been in the National assembly for many years, a man of his own, would be compelled by the governor to make a public statement against his will? And then, you want to tell me that seven other members of the National Assembly including the senators would come together to say something against their wish. And then, you want to tell me that the Tiv Area Traditional Council, the Tiv youth group and all those groups that have come out to condemn this, the governor has controlled them and has forced them to come up and say these things? That is unacceptable. I don’t think any governor has such powers. That tells you that the people are truly angry and the governor has no hand in this. So, whoever is bringing the governor into this is playing a game of politics. Senator Akume should answer the people. If the people are angry and asking him to apologise, he should respond to the people and leave the governor out of this. At the appropriate time, Governor Ortom will respond to Senator Akume because he has written so many unfounded petitions against the governor. But that’s a different matter. On this one, he should face the people and talk to them. The people are asking him to apologise to the Tor Tiv and the governor has no hand in it.
If other Tiv sins and daughters can come out to condemn this uncomplimentary comment against the Tor Tiv, is the governor not coming out openly to condemn it?
The Governor is the governor of Benue State. And he should be the last person to speak on issues like this. Because the people are already speaking out and venting their anger. The governor shouldn’t be the first to speak out when something is wrong because the governor is the father of the state. The people are still talking. At the right time, the governor will speak. But at the moment, Benue people are still talking. Yesterday, it wasn’t just a matter of Tiv, it was the entire state. Those National Assembly members cut across all the ethnic groups of Benue State; Tiv, Idoma, Igede. All of them were there and they spoke with one voice. So, the governor is the father of the state and shouldn’t be the first to comment on something that is controversial and capable of dividing his state. He would weigh all the statements and at the end, he would have a say on this matter. But for now, I think Senator Akume is the best person to respond and not Governor Ortom.
