Governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom has claimed that he is in possession of a document proving that the Fulani Tribe plans to ‘takeover’ Nigeria.
Ortom made the disclosure while speaking to BBC Pidgin in a recent interview.
He said; “Fulani Nationality Movement, FUNAM were the people who attempted to kill me recently. They said Nigeria is the only country that belongs to them. It is written and I have the document.”
“I have sent copy of the document to the president, police, DSS. The FUNAM said they wanted this revolution in 1800 but could not achieve it through Usman Danfodio. They claimed that they have the power, money and all it takes to achieve it”.
Ortom further stated that the Terrorism that was spoken off in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq has come to Nigeria. “The terrorism that we used to hear in far away countries like Afghanistan Iraq and other warring countries has surfaced in Nigeria.”
“And as it is, it seems the presidency is in support of what is happening because it is not saying anything.”, he said.
Ortom and the Presidency have been at loggerheads recently.
Ortom had accused the President, Muhammadu Buhari of ‘destroying’ Nigeria. Reacting to the comment, the Presidency in a statement signed by its spokesman, Garba Shehu, last week, commented that Ortom was not fit to be a governor.
With due respect to Gov Ortom I think he’ll need to get some real classical academic knowledge in history. In real academic terms the jihad led by Usman Danfodiyo was more of an educational revolution (a revolution by intellectuals) than a tribal one. It’s not to say that some Fulbe and other non academic groups think of it as a tribal one. Those who think it’s tribal capitalized on the leadership of the jihad being mostly Fulbe. It’s been proved that most of the jihadist army was full of Hausas and other neighboring tribes, including mercenaries.
Now “the documentary evidence”, if it’s really there and found to be authentic, as belonging to one “Fulani Nationality Movement, (FUNAM),” can be considered to be part of those that think the jihad as a “Fulani Jihad” and is myopic. Colonial educational literature and their apologies who capitalise on on divide and rule style of administration have successfully manipulated our tribal groupings for disunity. For example the funny caption of a tribal group they call “Hausa-Fulani” which is never there. If inter-marriages is what’s seen as responsible in making this purported tribal group, what’s the name of the many people who are born as a result of the inter-marriages between the Tivs and Fulani, or the Tiv and Idoma, or yet between the Tiv and Other tribes across Nigeria?
Your Excellency, while I share your anger at the way and means that Benue, Plateau and to some extent Taraba and Nassarawa States have been turned into an insecurity hub, I’d also want to draw your attention to what’s happening in our North West Geo-Political Zone, particularly Zamfara and Katsina States. Going by His Excellency’s idea of FUNAM claiming to be waging a war to conquer Nigeria as a whole, are they “re-conquering” the North West? The jihad that’s being referred here wasn’t waged in 1800 but from 1803 and one cannot reverse back the calendar. I urge His Excellency to shun emotional and sentimental statements. He should recall that the number of innocent Fulani population in Benue State are his citizens first and foremost before they’re seen as Fulani. They’re Nigerians just like me and you Your Excellency. They deserve a better chance to be identified as clean not dirty as some trigger happy minority sponsored criminals have been distorting the tribe.
I urge you, Your Excellency to disregard the political differences and objectively seek for solutions. Insecurity is global and not unique to us.
Thank you.
Well, insecurity has taken a different dimension in Nigeria other than has ever been witnessed, as a matter of fact Nigerians have grossly lost the trust they have for the government over the issue as little or nothing has been done about this problem.
One would think that the president is directly responsible for the state of the crumbling security in Nigeria especially the north and some of the middle belt. But the attack is also active in Katsina, the state of the president himself. Clearly the cabal in charge of this insurgency is more tactical and grounded than the presidency, but how erroneous I wish this was. Hence the presidency has been ‘romancing’ the matter other than clearing the air of insurgency with all it takes. Reports has it that armed men in the forest may be tens or hundreds of thousands, if this pathetic report is true and the government is not considering going to war with these armed men as a matter of urgency and desperation then I pity the fate of every innocent Nigerian in less a decade.
YES, I Think “you are an educated elite. Now come to think of it, In pre-Nigerian colonial history, was there any tribe called Fulani in nigeria? the answer is purely no until when some fulani herders who migrated from the then Dahomy came to Sokoto requesting for grazing lands to rear their cattle in about 1750s, when that was granted, the next thing was that ALLAH has given them mandate to preach ISLAM and not to relent Until when they dip the Koran to the sea (which is to conque the south). I want to let you know that it was the Amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates in 1914 that halted that mission. Followed by the introduction of western Education by the Church Missionary society and others. Mr orthom is right on his claim. The truth is that Fulani people are not Traditionally Nigerians. It is just that they always dominate wherever they find themselves. Now we can say that Boko Haram, Bandits, Herdsmen and others have a common ideology which is Islamisation. Mr orthom is right, it was introduction and allocation of grazing routs and reserves that lead to the led to the holly war of 1804.
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THOUGH, THE TRUTH MIGHT BE HARD TO SWALLOW.
THANK YOU SIR.
Mr PHLY Sir, may I please correct you that before 1750s there’s nothing like “Dahomey”. The vast of Africa was made up of empires, kingdoms, and states that either had centralised or none centralised form of administrations.
Now, kindly allow me Sir, to correct your impression that the Fulani migrated from “Dahomy”. There’s nothing like “Dahomy” in the period you’re referring to but the area of your “Dahomy” was actually mostly under Oyo Empire.
May I further correct you Sir when it comes to who are the indigenous tribes of what’s now as Nigeria pre 1750s that you referred to is a gross historical error. This is because Nigeria was not there.
I would want put it to you, Sir, that the Fulani ethnic group of particular clans have been indigenous people of the many polities of the Nigerian area. That’s to say that, just like the Yoruba, Igbo, ibibio, Urhobo, Kanuri, Karekare, Hausa, Tivs, Igala, Idoma and many other smaller tribes predates Nigeria.
Your response is good, Sir, but it’s mixed up with a lot of what I term to be “a misrepresentation of Nigeria.” May I urge you to have a little more picture of the reality about our country so that we understand who we are as Nigerians.
Thanks a lot sir.
Well I think Mr Wonder got it right. In wake of 2013/14 a lot of bombings were at the neighbourhood of Abuja, the seat of the Federal Government. In Katsina State, Faskari LGA, while the former President was paying a State visit bandits were ransacking many communities. A number of innocent people were slaughtered. Tactically since then Katsina/Zamfara States were becoming “the hub” of banditry. The dimension that insurgency has taken is beyond what’s known to us. It’s beyond religion or tribe. While criminal elements manipulate the situation using tribal and religious sentiments to create mayhem, other insurgents create havoc to loot, rape and set villages and towns ablaze.
It’s really pathetic. One is forced to think that the Presidency is actually adamant to the unfortunate happenings. Remember that security is on the exclusive list and therefore the duty of the Federal Government all others are stakeholders but secondary.
While Boko Haram and the Islamic State (ISIS) insurgents have a defined objective of establishing an Islamic State, the insurgents in the north west seem to have no clear direction/objective of removing the sitting government and establishing their own. Theirs is to loot and create mayhem through kidnappings and all sorts of criminal activities. It’s more or less same with the insurgents of the north central or middle belt areas. The many killings that took place in these areas hide behind the tribal groups to unnecessarily create chaos.
The President must sit up and go beyond politics.