Former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has firmly rejected claims that his consistent criticism of the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari was fueled by hatred—whether toward Buhari himself or the Fulani ethnic group.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Ortom clarified that his outspoken stance during his tenure stemmed from a constitutional and moral duty to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people of Benue State, which was plagued by violent attacks linked to suspected herdsmen.
“I didn’t hate Buhari. I didn’t hate his government. I didn’t hate any Fulani man,” Ortom stated. “All I was standing for was that I was elected to provide security and welfare for my own people. That’s what I did.”
The former governor, who served between 2015 and 2023, came under repeated fire from critics during Buhari’s presidency over his vocal condemnation of what he described as the federal government’s indifference to the insecurity ravaging Benue communities. However, Ortom stressed that his criticisms were targeted at government inaction, not ethnicity or individuals.
“I did accuse the last government of not doing enough to curb the security challenges that we had,” Ortom said. “I couldn’t just keep watching and burying my people daily. I had to speak out.”
Proposed Solutions Ignored
Ortom also revealed that his administration didn’t merely complain but proposed interventions aimed at curbing the killings. These proposals, he said, were largely ignored by the Buhari administration.
“Had the federal government accepted and implemented the solutions we presented, the killings in Benue could have been avoided,” he noted.
He referenced the controversial Ruga settlement and other ranching schemes introduced by the Buhari administration as half-hearted and deceptive, alleging that they lacked sincerity and genuine intent to address the deep-rooted conflict between farmers and herders.
More Than a Farmer-Herder Crisis
Challenging the mainstream narrative that frames the conflict as a mere farmers-versus-herders issue, Ortom argued that what has unfolded in Benue is far more sinister.
“This is not just a farmers-herders clash. What we are experiencing in Benue is calculated, organized, and brutal invasion by armed herders,” Ortom asserted.
He described harrowing scenes where communities were attacked, homes burned, women raped, and farmlands destroyed — actions he believes were deliberate and intended to displace indigenous populations.
“I saw my people butchered, I saw women raped, I saw children left homeless. No responsible leader would sit quietly in the face of such horror.”
Legacy of Advocacy
Ortom’s tenure was defined by his aggressive defense of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, which his administration passed in 2017 to address the recurring violence. Though the law received both praise and criticism, it sparked a national conversation about the need for structured ranching and agricultural reform.
In his interview, Ortom reiterated that the law was not anti-Fulani, but rather a practical step to resolve escalating tensions and secure rural communities.
“We coexisted with Fulani herdsmen for decades peacefully—until armed foreign herders began infiltrating our borders. My administration only responded with the law to restore order.”
As Benue continues to grapple with insecurity and displacement, Ortom’s remarks come as a pointed reminder of the unresolved tensions and the critical need for sincere, inclusive, and lasting solutions to Nigeria’s security crisis.
