The insolent boldness exhibited by the governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Abudullahi Sule is a mark of serious disrespect and disregard for the feelings of the injured people of Benue State.
After the massacre of over 200 people in Yelewata, a Benue State border town with Nasarawa State, the governor had the cheek to threaten a law suit against a Benue State historian and university don, Prof. Zacharys Gundu for pointing out that Nasarawa State is a haven for the evildoers.
Is it not true that the neighbour is the nurturer and carrier of terrorists and rampaging agents?
Recall that on June 13, these merchants of death invaded Yelewata at night killing and maiming defenceless folks in their sleep and burning property.
Surprisingly, instead of uprooting the criminal gang cells in Nasarawa State, Sule has rather threatened to institute a legal action against the former Pro-Chancellor of Benue State University Makurdi for saying Nasarawa State is heaven for the killers in Benue State.
Speaking at a townhall organised by News Central Television on insecurity challenges in North Central Nigeria in July, Prof. Gundu accused Sule of “masking the killings in Benue State and forcefully taking over farmlands belonging to the Tiv people of Nasarawa State and handing over same to Fulani herdsmen.”
Of course, this is a no new story. Since the time of former Governor Tanko Almakura it started. The current governor has only been brazen in the anti-Tiv people campaign as he chases them away, confiscates their land in what he calls “farming”.
Coming from the Dangote Group, his mission is well cut out.
Nasarawa State has consistently pushed boundaries in its campaign against the people of Benue State in the last three decades and the current administration is simply the champion of the order.
The governor threatened the legal action against the former university Pro-Chancellor at a press conference addressed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Addra in lafia on July 23.
”Failure to prove these allegations leaves Prof. Gundu with only option…retract his malicious statements against Governor Sule and tender an unreserved apology to the governor and the Government of Nasarawa State,” said Addra.
The governor’s counsel, Dr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), had in a letter dated July 22, 2025, demanded a retraction and apology from Prof. Gundu promising legal actions against Gundu and his co-travellers in seven days.
Instead of tendering apology, Prof. Gundu called Sule’s bluff.
The archaeologist dismissed the demands for retraction and apology, urging the governor to go to court.
It is now over four weeks, not a single brief has been filed.
By this threat, Sule had made a bad situation even worse.
A Benue Sate-born legal colossus, Prof. Sebastine Hon whose mission in his decades of practice has been advocacy for the oppressed, took up the challenge pro bono on behalf of Prof. Gundu.
He wrote Sule digging up many reasons to justify the allegation that Sule and his government have a burden in the terrorists activities in the Benue valley.
Prof. Hon’s salvo of proofs had cowed Sule into being quiet. In fact, he chickened out when faced with the challenge.
Prof. Hon leads a team of 50 experienced lawyers to tackle Sule and he was intimidated.
Prof. Hon is of the uncommon breed. He has set a monumental record with his voluminous book “The Evidence Act”. This very work is cited daily by justices and attorneys.
And his compassion and love for humanity is limitless.
Rather than grandstanding, Sule should, in the spirit of brotherliness, and of course, for the sake of Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress as enunciated on the Nigeria Coat of Arms which he carries about desist from this, turn a new leaf and uphold the Oaths of Office and Allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria — the oath he took on assumption of office.
Rather than huffing and puffing, Sule should listen to wise counsel and desist from marginalising and dehumanising fellow beings.
If his counterpart in Benue State who rather calls mass atrocities “skirmishes” is not forthcoming, he can engage people like Prof. Gundu, Prof. Hon, former Governor Samuel Ortom, the Tor Tiv, the Ochi’doma and good thinking people to work out solutions to this seemingly intractable problem.
As someone who has toured the world and seen development in different climes, how does he feel seeing this kind of stone-age tendencies and practices perpetrated on the very territory he superintends? Sule must have a heart of stone to see barbarian acts like the Yelewata incident and gloat.
He should remember that he vowed to be fair and just to all manner of persons irrespective of creed and tribe in the discharge of his duties. He needs to do that now more than ever before as he is in the twilight of his administration. What will he be remembered for?
And for the jihadists or whatever they want to be known as, the world has gone past this primitive way of land acquisition. Their evil will not take them anywhere. Those who copy happenings in the Middle East to execute here should know that the Benue Valley was inhabited by the strong breed who gave a deadly blow to the Uthman dan Fodio fighters.
The blood of the progenitors still flows in the veins of the inhabitants of that valley.
Like Léopold Senghor put it in “The Ancestral Savanna”, the Benue Valley inhabited by the descendants of the great and irrepressible warrior-ancestors will be jealously guarded.
Atonko is a political analyst (benaton2000@yahoo.com)