Southeast Group Warns Against Attack On Gov Ortom

By Ayodele Oni

The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL), a socio political group, has warned against any attempt to attack Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom.

Just few days ago, Governor Ortom alleged that there were attempts to hire foreign mercenaries to assassinate him.

The Group in a statement pointed out that the only offence of the Governor was that he was speaking the truth about the cause and those behind insecurity in the country.

In a press release signed by its president, Mr Goodluck Item, it said that it would hold the Federal Government accountable should anything bad happen to the governor, who had raised alarms about threats to his life by fulani herdsmen

Expressing its observation that Governor Ortom was under threat due to his stand against open grazing in the Southern part of the country, the group charged Nigerians to stand against sponsored terrorist groups from Sudan and its environs who are behind the planned attack.

The statement reads in part: “The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL), the apex socio-political front for all youthful organizations in the Southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria is aware of the latest concern and alarm sounded by Governor Ortom of Benue State wherein the governor alleged that assassins from Sudan had been hired to eliminate him.

“We are already touched and saddened by recent assassinations and reported deaths that have overwhelmed the Nigerian space recently while the government of the day (the federal government which controls the whole security agencies, intelligence infrastructure, and apparatuses, even the paramilitary units) has not been able to do much to stem the tide of this trend and bloodletting.

“The deaths of politically-exposed persons like Obadiah Mailafia, Ahmed Gulak, Dr. Chike Akunyili, just to mention but a few should give any observer and follower of the Nigerian polity a worry.

“Though allegations point to elsewhere, nothing, to the knowledge of COSEYL, is concrete and firm as with these deaths. Even that of Gulak sounds like a cock and bull.

“We wish to sound the warning to the federal government of the day with whom Ortom has been having a running battle of words that no harm, should by any means, come to Ortom.

“We strongly support Ortom and his position in the matter of open grazing that has taken lives of Nigerians, caused food crises, population displacement, human dislocation, and dislodgement and other sundry challenges occasioned by herders whose agenda remains to grab land and use same for grazing commons.

“In our unalloyed support for him, we state that any attack on Ortom is not just an attack on the opposition or a dissenting voice, but one against us and our democracy, since as a Coalition, we share the same opinion on grazing with the governor. We will not take this, not even from any President or Presidency.”