I ran kilometers to escape death – Gov Ortom

• This is declaration of war – Middle Belt Forum

• We may resort to self-help – Benue youths

• Arrest leadership of Miyetti Allah now – MUT

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has narrated how he ran for close to two (2) kilometres after suspected armed herdsmen, numbering about 15, attacked him in his farm at Tyo-Mu community, near Makurdi, the state capital, yesterday morning.

The visibly shaken governor, who explained that the incident happened at about 11a.m, said it took the grace of God and the bravery of his security personnel to repel the attackers.

Ortom has been in the forefront of the fight against criminal herdsmen, claiming they had been killing his Benue people in their plot to take over their ancestral lands.

He ensured a law was enacted by the state House of Assembly against open grazing of cattle in the state as cattle destruction of farmlands has been a source of conflict between native farmers and herdsmen.

“You know today is Saturday and it is normal as a farmer, I usually go to my farm on Saturdays”, the governor told journalists after the gun attack yesterday. “So I went to my farm along Gboko Road and, while trekking out of the farm; on our way back, we started hearing gunshots and we saw people a little afar who were dressed in black and from experience, we realized that these were the criminal militia.

“I did not want to take things for granted because, few days ago, the media were awash with a statement from Miyetti Allah, which had met in Yola, the same place they met in 2016, where they declared that they will take over Nigeria and that every other person is a slave and that was when they started infiltrating the entire country.

“They came out with a statement singling me out as the only person who is creating problem for the entire Fulani race.

“And behind the scenes, I also heard that in the meeting, I was targeted for elimination, this was the information I got. That they…