Kanu, Ortom and his obnoxious observations- Bala Ibrahim

In his characteristic repulsive and often repugnant remarks, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, while flagging off the 2021 sales of fertilizer in the state yesterday, Thursday, 01/07/21, chastised the Buhari administration for the way and manner it carried out the re-arrest and eventual re-arraignment of Nnamdi Kanu, the erstwhile fugitive leader of the proscribed IPOB.

Speaking with sarcasm, Ortom asked the Presidency to, “apply same zeal used in arresting Kanu to apprehend Fulani leaders”. To him, Buhari is not bothered by the atrocities of the accused Fulanis because he is one of them. He described as a misplaced priority, the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, who he said was fighting a “just cause”.

I don’t know what Governor Ortom read in school, but going by his understanding of the phrase “Just cause”, I can bet my wallet he did not pay much attention to the use of the English language in school.

Any person who has broken the law, by way of committing arson, treasonable felony, incitements against lawfully established systems, and was charged to court, released on bail under stringent conditions, and who chose to jump the bail and go into hiding or remain at large, is an offender of the law that cannot, under any guise, enjoy the status of one fighting a “just cause”.

Anyone who sees such a person differently is a deviant, and with due respect, that includes His Excellency, Samuel Ortom of Benue State. I now see why his remarks are always nauseating, or even unsavory sometimes.

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The dictionary describes “Just cause” as, reasonable and lawful ground for action. It says the term just cause, refers to a standard of reasonableness used to evaluate a person’s actions in a given set of circumstances.

Given the gravity of Kanu’s atrocities, can any sane person describe his actions as the pursuit of a just cause, or passing the test of reasonableness?

It would be extremely disrespectful to say an elected governor is lacking a good sense of judgment, but I make bold to accuse His Excellency Ortom of being unwise, by playing to the gallery.

Instead of saying what he knows is right, by condemning Kanu and acclaiming the presidency for a job well done, Governor Ortom simply played to the gallery, under the illusion that castigating the Presidency and hailing Kanu would make him popular among some people.

Ortom’s ethnic hatred or sentiments of hostility against the Fulanis is never hidden. The Kanu situation afforded him the opportunity to add this long-standing hatred to the anti-national culture, by joining the Presidency in the inherent sentiments of hostility.

The primary responsibility of any Government is to ensure the protection of lives and property. Anyone that comes with a reversed ambition to this, must be viewed as an enemy of the state, and that includes Kanu and his supporters like Governor Samuel Ortom.

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Amongst the charges leveled against Kanu are acts of terrorism, treasonable felony, possession of firearms, and managing an unlawful society. How can such behavior come under fighting a just cause?.

Kanu is also accused of instigating violence, especially in southeastern Nigeria, that resulted in the loss of lives and property of civilians, military, paramilitary, police force, and the destruction of civil institutions and symbols of civil authority. How do these acts come under fighting a just cause?

It may be recalled that, in 2014, Kanu founded the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, which seeks to establish an independent state in Nigeria, through the use of violence. He rebranded his movement as Biafra, in consonance with that which seceded from Nigeria in 1967, and one that led to a bloody civil war that killed more than a million people. How does such a person come under one that is fighting a just cause?

Kanu’s contempt for the country and the challenge on the legitimacy of the Buhari administration has been tolerated beyond a reasonable level, such that it started giving courage to other people like Sunday Igboho, to commence confronting the unity of the country.

Like Kanu, Igboho is seeking the establishment of the Oduduwa Republic in southwestern Nigeria, an agitation he plans to pursue even if with the use of violence.

Although he has not officially, or openly given support to Igboho, but looking at their common denominator, of hatred for the Fulanis, methinks Ortom and Igboho are communicating in agreement secretly.

Pursuant to his planned rally in Logos tomorrow, Saturday, 03/07/21, where they intend to ground all activities in the city, Igboho’s residence in Ibadan was raided two days ago, and happily, the DSS has claimed responsibility.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Thursday, the DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, said Igboho has fled and is being tracked, adding that he is now a wanted person.

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“In the early hours (about 01:34 hours) of 1st July 2021, a joint team of security operatives raided the residence of Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a SUNDAY IGBOHO at Soka Ibadan, Oyo State. This was based on intelligence that he had stockpiled arms in the place. On approach to the residence, the team came under heavy gun attack by nine (9) men, suspected to be IGBOHO’s guards. Six of them were armed with AK-47 gun and Three others, with Pump-Action rifles”- Peter Afunanya.

While the public is awaiting another observation from Ortom on the admission of the DSS to raiding Igboho’s residence, I hasten to advise the Governor, to be more circumspect, by guarding and gaging the consequences of his utterances at all times, because they are not only obnoxious but sometimes almost always offensive.

Ibrahim, a media advisor writes from Abuja