By Lawal Ogienagbon
It was a routine visit to his farm. Once in a while when state duties allow, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom goes there to see things for himself. He uses the opportunity to chat up the farm workers; share a joke or two here and there and call it a day. The governor was there last Saturday and he escaped death by whiskers.
Some may even want him to spend more time with them on the farm as it is not everyday that you get to see a governor at close quarters. But that is not possible considering his hectic schedule. Soon, it was time to go. And the governor turned the way he came to head out of the farm. The first few steps were smooth. In the midst of some of his security aides, he trudged on in the marshy terrain towards his car parked a few metres away.
All the vehicles in his convoy were not driven into the farm because of its difficult terrain. They walked on, as they looked at the vehicles at a no far distance. Then, everything changed as guns boomed from nowhere. The party stopped in its track. The governor’s security aides knew what they had to do next: ferry their principal to safety, notwithstanding the deafening gunshots, which could be heard afar off because of the dense forest. In a state terrorised by herdsmen, many in far places would have run for cover even without knowing the cause of the gunshots.
After all, self preservation is the first law of nature. Some would have shouted out to others that the herders have come again, without even seeing who the gunmen were. Men, women and children would have scampered to safety to avoid being hit. There was no need to worry. The gunmen were not after them. At least,not that day. They had their target in mind and they were going all out for him. They thought they had the governor where they wanted him. It was a perfect setting for them. From their hiding place, they thought it was finished for the governor.
It was an ambush well planned, but its execution went awry at the zero hour. They had Ortom in the sight of their gun, but Providence intervened to save his life. The gunmen could not have imagined that the governor would escape. They thought they had everything sewn up. Shoot him to death in the bush and flee without leaving a trace of where they came from. From reports so far, it is obvious that the gunmen did their homework well. They had their coming and going well planned and timed. They came and left with ease because they had studied the farm well before they struck. It is possible that they worked with insider information and with someone who knows the governor’s itinerary.
The gunmen meant business. Their mission was to kill Ortom. The reason for their action may not be unconnected with the governor’s well known stance on cattle grazing, which has pitched him against herders. The anti-grazing law in his state does not sit well with the herders who prefer to move about with their cows. In the process, the cows have destroyed many farms, leading to incessant herders/farmers clashes in which hundreds of lives have been lost. This is basically the problem in Benue, which, unfortunately, is being replicated in many parts of the country today. From Plateau to Nasarawa, Oyo to Ogun, Edo to Delta, these clashes have become a common feature, with death and destruction all over the place.
This is why the attack on Ortom should be viewed seriously. When has it become an offence for a governor to make his stand known on any issue? A governor is expected to act in the best interest of his state. So, if he feels it is in the interest of his state to ban grazing, should that be the reason to target his life? It will be difficult for many, especially Ortom and his people, not to see the hands of herders in this incident. A Yoruba adage puts it aptly: the child died today after yesterday’s cry of the witch and you are still looking for the culprit! This is the song that Ortom is already singing. Shortly after his escape, he pointedly accused the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) of being behind the attack. MACBAN has since denied the allegation.
But a faceless Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM) is claiming responsibility for the attack. The group may just be seeking relevance. No matter, it is worrisome that gunmen can deliberately go out of their way to attack a governor despite the retinue of his security men. It shows how daring and bold these gunmen have become. If they had succeeded in their mission, it would have given them the confidence to take on other governors. It would have marked the beginning of the assassination of governors. The Ortom attack is unique because the gunmen took the fight to him on his farm. It was a clear case of seeking him out for elimination. No governor has been attacked in such circumstance in the history of this nation.
Other governors with similar experience were attacked on the road when they ran into gunmen and not on their farms. Here, we are talking about one of Ortom’s predecessors, Senator George Akume as well as Governors Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Babagana Zulum (Borno). Akume and Akeredolu were attacked by gunmen operating on the roads they plied, while Zulum was ambushed by Boko Haram insurgents on the highway. But to go and confront a governor on his farm makes those past attacks, as serious as they are too, pale into insignificance. The police and the other security agencies must rise to the occasion in this case. They owe the nation a duty to get these gunmen.
Ortom’s security aides have a question to answer on how the gunmen escaped after the attempt on his life. They cannot plead that they were caught unawares. As security agents, they are expected to be at alert always and be prepared for any eventuality. Are they saying that if the gunmen had got the governor, they would have allowed them to vanish into thin air just as it happened in this failed mission? As protectors of this class of Nigerians, security agents must take their job seriously. The lives of governors and other public officers are in the hands of these security agents and they must never be found wanting in the discharge of this onerous responsibility.
Why did Ortom’s security agents allow all the gunmen (15, according to the governor) escape without getting one of them? Thank God Ortom was ferried to safety after, according to him, running 1.5kilometres to get back to the safety and comfort of his well secured car. Perhaps, if one of the gunmen had been caught, that would have helped in unmasking the masterminds of the mission. All the same, there should be no excuse in getting them and soon too.
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