Ex-Senate president blames Ortom for farmers/herdsmen clash in Benue

He stated this at a parley with some members of the British Parliament in London, United Kingdom.

In a paper titled “Tackling the Violence between Livestock Farmers and Cultivators in Nigeria,” Ebute accused Governor Ortom of "exploiting the situation for political gains".

“When clashes between the Agatu, and Idoma-speaking people and Fulani livestock farmers led to the death of many people in Agatu, Ortom did not show much concern," Ebute alleged.

"He asked the Agatu people to learn to live with the Fulanis and to cede land to them as a price for peace. However, when his people were attacked, all of a sudden, Benue no longer had 'indigenous' Fulanis but simply marauding foreign invaders that must be driven out of Benue.”

The former Senate President noted that creating and arming ethnic militias or turning a blind eye to their activities is a recipe for more violence.

"Rather than helping to maintain peace, law, and order, ethnic militias have often aggravated the tensions between cultivators and livestock farmers," he said.

“They create a false sense of security, and they promote an easy recourse to violence as a solution to ethnic or group tensions. Similarly, it is unhelpful for state governments to pass anti-open grazing laws that they require the federal government to enforce.

"In a federation, the component units of the federation should only enact laws that they can enforce on their own. The Nigerian judiciary should make an authoritative interpretation of the constitution which bars state governments from enacting laws and measures that require the exclusive powers of the central government to enforce."

The Senator canvassed for support from Britain and other western countries to extend support to Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.