‘I Was Doing My Job!’ Ortom Explains Fierce Stance on Buhari’s Security Policies

Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has dismissed suggestions that he harbored hatred toward the late former President Muhammadu Buhari over the federal government’s handling of insecurity in the state.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain explained that his criticisms were never personal but driven by his responsibility to defend and protect the people of Benue.

“I didn’t hate Buhari, I didn’t hate his government, I didn’t hate any Fulani man. All I stood for was fulfilling my mandate to provide security and ensure the welfare of my people,” Ortom said.

He stressed that his administration repeatedly raised alarm because the federal government failed to do enough to tackle the violence and attacks that ravaged the state during his tenure.

“I couldn’t just watch and keep burying my people. I had to speak out. But beyond speaking, my government proposed solutions that we believed could end the crisis,” he added.

Ortom maintained that if the Buhari administration had embraced the proposals his government presented, the insecurity in Benue would not have persisted.

The former governor said he felt frustrated under Buhari’s leadership, alleging that programmes such as the Ruga ranching initiative were a mere smokescreen rather than genuine solutions to the violence.

He further insisted that the recurring attacks were not a mere herders-farmers clash as often portrayed.

“It is not about herders and farmers clashing. These are invading herders storming villages to kill, destroy farms, rape women, and commit other atrocities,” Ortom said.