Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has asked the deposed Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, to face the court litigation surrounding his dethronement.
In a statement made available to journalists late Tuesday night by Ortom’s spokesman, Nathaniel Ikyur, said that his principal made the statement at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi while inaugurating the Benue Sexual Assault Referral Centre, known as DOHAPITU Clinic.
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The statement read in part:
The deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had in a recent video which went viral, made a futile attempt at dragging the name of the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom to the unfortunate incident in Nasarawa State where some persons alleged to be Fulani herdsmen were killed in an air strike attack, the source of which is still a subject of investigation by relevant authorities
In the video which to all intent and purpose, like others from similar sources, was aimed at profiling Governor Ortom before the Fulani race, the deposed Emir called on the Benue governor to learn from his brother governors on how to manage the diversity in his state, citing the governor of Plateau State as his model.
The governor, however, asked the former emir to restrain himself from meddling in the affairs of Benue State.
The governor said while he does not intend to join issues with the deposed Emir because of the sacredness with which he holds human lives, he maintained that the anti-open grazing law which the deposed Emir made reference to in the video is a law that was validly passed by the Benue State House of Assembly which prescribed penalties against its violations.
He said the Benue State government or indeed the governor does not have the capacity to deploy a drone or any military assets in any part of the country.
At the appropriate time, I will formally respond to that evil presentation to Mr. President against me. I will talk about my story and expose the evil that is going on orchestrated by those that are perceived to be educated and prominent and supposed to be leaders.
Ortom said he found it strange that Sanusi would advise him to govern Benue like his Plateau State counterpart, saying he was “elected by the people of Benue State and my allegiance is to Benue State people, not to any man in Kano.”
He pointed out that the law prohibiting open grazing in Benue which Sanusi was against “is not in conflict with the constitution of Nigeria so nobody can stop us from enforcing the rights and practice of the law.”
