Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has warned Kano State’s deposed Emir, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi, not to meddle in the affairs of the state.
Instead, he recommended Alhaji Sanusi to face the court proceedings surrounding his dethronement.
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The Governor spoke at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi on Tuesday to mark the opening of the Benue Sexual Assault Referral Centre, also known as the DOHAPITU Clinic.
Governor Ortom questioned why the dethroned Emir, as educated and exposed as he was, would sink to fabricating lies about an elected personality like himself only to serve his purpose.
In a recent viral video, Sanusi pulled Ortom into the sad episode in Nassarawa State, where several people claiming to be Fulani herdsmen were killed in an air strike attack, the source of which is still being investigated by competent authorities.
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The deposed Emir urged Benue’s governor to learn from his brother governors on how to manage diversity in his state, citing Plateau State’s Governor as an example.
While the Governor stated that he does not intend to join issues with the deposed Emir due to the sacredness with which he holds human lives, he maintained that the anti-open grazing law, which the deposed Emir mentioned in the video, is a law that was validly passed by the Benue State House of Assembly, with penalties for violations.
He stated that the Benue State Government, or the governor in particular, cannot deploy a drone or other military equipment in any area of the country.
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“At the right moment, I will formally answer to that wicked presentation to Mr. President against me,” the Governor said. I’ll tell my tale and reveal the evil that is being perpetrated by persons who are thought to be educated, influential, and leaders.”
Governor Ortom expressed surprise that Alhaji Sanusi would urge him to manage Benue in the same manner as his Plateau State counterpart, claiming that he was “chosen by the people of Benue State and my allegiance is to the people of Benue State, not to any individual in Kano.”
Governor Ortom stated that the law in Benue State outlawing open grazing, which Alhaji Sanusi opposed, “is not in conflict with the constitution of Nigeria, so nobody can stop us from implementing the rights and practice of the law.”
On the Benue Sexual Assault Referral Centre, the Governor expressed confidence that it would be able to solve all of the difficulties affecting rape victims in the state and provide them with justice.
He thanked his wife, Dr. Eunice Ortom, and all who helped make the center a reality, and said that his administration will continue to support health-care initiatives.
Wife of the Governor, Dr. Eunice Ortom, represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Tabitha Igirgi, said the compelling need to give victims of rape hope for a better life drove her passion for the establishment of the centre.
The Coordinator, Benue Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Dr. Laadi Swende, said the centre would among other things provide emergency care services, offer family planning and prevention for sexually transmitted infections to victims of rape.
Dr. Swende pointed out that the centre was open to partnership from private organisations and good-spirited individuals to enable it to operate twenty hours and thanked the State Government for providing the funding for its establishment.
Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Joseph Ngbea and Chief Medical Director, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Professor Terrumun Swende in their goodwill messages appreciated Governor Ortom and his wife for their achievements in the health sector.
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