The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Mr Terver Akase, in this interview by JOHNSON BABAJIDE, speaks on the resistance of Miyetti Allah cattle breeders to the anti-grazing law of the state and other issues relating to security in the state. Excerpts:
Last week, Miyetti Allah cattle breeders addressed the media in Abuja and claimed to have settled in Benue ahead of the Tiv people. What is your take on this?
The government of Benue State has spoken elaborately on the declaration of war against the people of the state by Miyetti Allah. The government has minced no words in telling the world that what the group is saying is out of tune and does not reflect the true state of things. What the Dr Samuel Ortom administration has maintained since this thing started is that ranching is the way forward. If you go to other countries and particularly the developed nations, you don’t find cattle rearers moving from one place to another. Governor Ortom has travelled wide and has discovered that the best way to end the constant crisis between herdsmen and farmers is to ranch. After all, Nigeria copied its democracy from the United States of America where they ranch their cattle. So, the question is why don’t we ranch our cattle as the best solution?
This is the background of the Benue State open grazing prohibition and establishment of ranching bill, which has become a law in the state. It was an executive bill sent to House of Assembly, which was subjected to public hearings in the three senatorial districts of the state. And the cattle breeders association was invited to the public hearings to say what they think is the best way out of the problem.
You know, when we talk of Benue people, they comprise every person living in the state – Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Igbo and other ethnic groups. All these people were invited to the public hearings. The people all agreed that the best solution is ranching of the cattle. It is, however, unfortunate that the Miyetti Allah addressed the media in Abuja and attacked the law and the people of Benue State. This is not acceptable. The law has come to stay. The people of the state are happy and other states of the federation are emulating Benue already. So, we have challenged them to come forward if they have a better solution to the crisis.
But what about these people’s claim that they were the first settlers in the Benue valley?
That is not true. History has it that when Othman Dan Fodio came to Benue, they confronted Benue people, including the Tiv and they met them at the river bank and resisted them vehemently. So, if they came and met our people here, that means the statement by Miyetti Allah is unfounded. If you read history books, you will see that when the Jihadist came, they met our people and there was conflict yet, they were not allowed into Benue. So, anyone who claims that they occupied the land of Benue needs to go back and study history.
It is said that the Miyetti Allah may have drawn their conclusion from the fact that there are some towns in Tivland where the settlers are Hausas, towns like Makurdi, Katsina Ala and Gbamjinba…
There is no evidence to support that. The history books are there for everyone to read. If anyone is in doubt, let such a person go back and read the history books. There is no evidence to show that any group settled here before the Benue people.
Oral historians also suggest that the name ‘Makurdi’ derived from the Hausa word ‘Meikudi’ and that the earliest settler in Gbamjinba, in Guma, was a Hausa hunter.
No, the issue of naming towns or streets is a different ball game entirely. If you go to Yorubaland, you will find places named after Hausa men or even Tiv man. That does not translate to ownership of the land. For instance, there is a major street at the heart of the city of Port Harcourt named after a Tiv man. Can we now say that the Tiv man owns the place? Absolutely not. It does not mean that the Tiv man owns the place. It doesn’t even make him an indigene of Port Harcourt.
You know, our people had early contact with Hausa/Fulanis, this mix of languages between the Tivs and Hausa is as a result of the long relationship between the two ethnic groups. You know, our people encouraged them to settle here to graze their cattle. At that time, the population was not what we have now. Then, there was a huge area of land which permitted grazing and did not affect our farming activities. So, there was no conflict. But as population continued to grow and development occurred, the land for grazing became less this is why ranching has become important.
And remember that the Land Use Act is clear about who owns the land. Land ownership is vested in the governor of the state to hold for the people except where land is for the Federal Government or agencies. The ownership of every other land is vested in the office of the governor. That is why you find the governor signing Certificates of Occupancy. Therefore, any other person saying that he owns the land has got it wrong.
Prior to this time, there was said to be cordial relationship between the Tiv and herdsmen. It was alleged that the seed of the crisis was sowed when some traditional rulers collected money from herdsmen in exchange for land…
I have already stated the cordiality that existed between the Tiv and Fulani. Our people gave them land so they could move from place to place in Benue valley and there was no conflict because our people understood them and they were good too. There was mutual understanding between the two groups until crime was introduced into grazing.
The issue of people giving out land to the herdsmen in exchange for money is not true. One thing is that if a Fulani man came into the neighborhood and asked to be allowed to settle down to graze until the rainy season when they would go back, our people used to give them land to settle down with their families and graze. That does not mean that a Tiv man has sold his land. In those days, the Tiv man would give the Fulani man yam to eat. In fact, some Tiv people assisted the Fulani in grazing their cattle. But this does not mean that the Fulani became owners of the land.
Anytime they came, they introduced themselves to the king and made their mission of grazing known to the elders and due to their accommodating nature, the Tiv people allowed them to settle down and graze and they too did not stray into people’s farms.
What is the way forward?
The way forward is what has been done – coming out with the law. The law has to take its course. We have a law on ground now and the law enforcement agencies are there to implement it.
Dialogue has been suggested as a means of addressing the situation…
Dialogue has been ongoing. You will remember that Governor Ortom, on many occasions, held meetings in Agatu, Buruku and even Nasarawa State before the law was passed, in order to be sure that the Tiv, Idoma and Fulani were on the same page with him. Remember, the law is not only against cattle, it is against rearing of livestock, pigs, goat, etc. All have to be ranched. This has not stopped dialogue because this government is people’s government and the governor has said that the government is ready to assist the nomads in understanding the need to embrace ranching. It means the government has given room for dialogue, that is, live and let live. The government is aware that ranching is a new thing to the nomads and is ready to assist them to embrace it. That is the best way to be together because the land in Benue is no longer big enough for cattle grazing.
Do you have knowledge of any discussion between the Sultan of Sokoto and the state governor since Miyetti Allah made its statement?
I am not aware of that but you know that the Sultan was here, in the state, during the coronation of the Tor Tiv and he spoke his mind. He did not dispute what the Benue State governor was saying. He called for dialogue and peace among the stakeholders. He said many other good things. It is the same thing at the summit in Abuja where Governor Ortom made a powerful presentation, where other major stakeholders in northern Nigeria and other parts of the country were in attendance. When Governor Ortom spoke, everybody agreed with his position. There, he told the world that ranching was the way forward. The Sultan did not also dispute what the governor said, which means that he is a leader who embraces peace and sees that what Governor Ortom is emphasising has some meaning.
What is the government doing to tackle insecurity in the state?
A lot of things have been done in this respect. Governor Ortom has frequently engaged security agencies in the state. On all occasions, his word is that Benue has to be secured. You know that the issue of herdsmen is not the only security challenge we have. There are also militia men causing trouble. That prompted the governor, on assumption of office, to declare amnesty to youths who wanted to embrace peace. More than 800 youths embraced the amnesty programme and over 600 arms and ammunition were recovered. These arms were destroyed publicly. You can imagine what it means if those arms were still in the hands of the youth.
The carrot approach has ended. Now we are on the stick approach. The governor signed the anti-kidnapping and other vices bill the same day anti-grazing bill was signed. That anti-kidnapping law has also come into force. This shows that this government is a no-nonsense government as far as the issue of security is concerned. The penalty for kidnapping is death. This is a clear indication that this government is serious about the protection of lives and property of the people of the state.