By Sunday Ogli, Makurdi
Benue sociocultural organisations, have resolved to resist the operation of any vigilante organisation constituted by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, MAKH to protect Fulani pastoralists in Benue State.
The organisations, in a press release signed by their leaders; CP Iorbee Ihagh, retired, AVM Tony Adokwu, retired and Comrade Ben Okpa on behalf of Mdzough U Tiv, Ochetoha K’Idoma and Omi N’Igede respectively, said that the National Secretary of MAKH, Alhaji Slhassan Saleh, had indicated the creation of the vigilante group in the media recently.
“He particularly cited the Benue State local security outfit as being of concern to the group. Here too, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has once again exhibited itself as a lawless group that is bent on nothing but promoting anarchy in the land.
“We state unequivocally that Miyetti Allah’s desire to establish ‘their own vigilante’ as they have stated is the height of evil intention to reinforce their carnage in resisting Benue laws. For us no such evil intentioned vigilante by the Miyetti Allah will operate in Benue State,” they stated.
The leaders noted that the recently commissioned Benue State Community Volunteer Guards just like the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of the State is a child of necessity which is not targeted at anyone but aimed primarily at the security of the people.
“We state unequivocally that Miyetti Allah’s desire to establish ‘their own vigilante’ as they have stated is the height of evil intention to reinforce their carnage in resisting Benue laws. For us no such evil intentioned vigilante by the Miyetti Allah will operate in Benue State.
“As socio-cultural organizations in Benue State, we fully sanction the operation of the State Community Volunteer Guards which we know is operating within their rules of engagement at the grassroots.
“The personnel are well trained by conventional security agencies and all the security chiefs as well as the traditional institution were duly carried along in selecting men and women of unquestionable character to serve as the Volunteer Guards,” they said.
The leaders also told MAKH to be prepared to take all Benue people to the Hague, and not only Governor Ortom whom it recently threatened to drag before the world court.
“In their recent usual campaign of victimization and antagonization of Governor Ortom’s efforts toward ensuring peace and security of Benue people, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore openly threatened that they would drag Governor Ortom to the International Criminal Court of Justice in the Hague for what they claimed abuse of their rights and seizing of 25,000 cows belonging to their members.
“We find such threats ridiculous and at the same time nauseating to say the least. The terrorist atrocities committed by the Miyetti Allah group against Benue people and elsewhere across the country are fresh in the minds of all good spirited Nigerians and for the group to turn around and play the victim is a deliberate callous mischief to twist the narrative.
“In any case, as law abiding citizens, we as leaders of the socio-cultural groups in Benue State, hereby state categorically that the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore must be prepared to take all Benue people to the Hague, and not only Governor Ortom.
“We must emphasize that Governor Ortom as a leader we popularly elected, has our total mandate and we are fully in support of every lawful initiative by his administration to tackle security challenges to bring about enduring peace in the State.
“We state irrevocably that the orgy of bloodletting in Benue by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore will be vehemently resisted by our people using every available legal means.
“Miyetti Allah should not think they would blackmail, intimidate and victimize Governor Ortom and the rest of Benue people into silence about the unprovoked and coordinated killing of our people.
“Governor Ortom is fighting a just cause for our people and we are fully in solidarity with him as any attack on the Governor is an attack on the entire Benue people who will never surrender their ancestral lands to herdsmen jihadists on a conquest agenda,” they furthet stated.
