FULANI HERDSMEN: EJEH ACCEPTS DECEPTION OF PEACE ACCORD AND APOLOGIZED
By Morgan Adikwu
The facade has finally crumbled! Hon. James Melvin Ejeh, the Agatu Local Government Chairman, has unwittingly admitted the failure of his much-hyped ‘peace accord’ with Fulani herdsmen after the bloodbath in Apa LGA exposed its true nature—a sham built on deceit and political servitude.
In a desperate bid to control the narrative, Ejeh, who initially accused me of misinformation, turned around and issued a groveling apology to the Apa Local Government Chairman, Hon. Adah Ochega, and the people of Apa, effectively admitting his role in the disaster that followed his so-called peace deal.
Ejeh’s apology reads: “As a responsible leader who listens to his people, I want to sincerely apologise to the Apa local Chairman, my dear brother and colleague, and the entire Apa local government for any wrongdoings. They should find a place in their heart to forgive me. It won’t repeat itself again.”
This is not just an apology—it is an admission that his so-called peace accord was nothing but a tool for deceit and betrayal.
Less than two hours after his uncouth and sheepish response, where he tried to gag constructive criticism by accusing me of misinformation and maligning remarks, reality struck! Ejeh, who had been boasting about his success in negotiating peace with Fulani herders, was forced to bow his head in shame and apologize after the massacre in Apa. Is this the grand peace initiative he parades? How does he explain the killings, rapes, and destruction that followed this deceptive agreement? If the peace accord was genuine, why is blood still flowing in Benue State?
The tragic irony is that Ejeh himself had pledged to help Apa LGA achieve a similar peace agreement, and like clockwork, disaster followed. By endorsing the same treacherous peace deal for Apa, Ejeh invited carnage upon innocent people, exposing the fraudulent nature of his advocacy.
How can a peace initiative that leads to the butchering of innocent citizens be considered a success? The man who was gruesomely murdered in Ojantele was partially an Agatu man—his mother hails from Ogbangede in Agatu. Yet, Ejeh, whose ancestral home is Ikobi in Apa (the same village as Hon. Adam Ochega, the Apa LGA Chairman), has the audacity to feign ignorance.
Even more damning is Ejeh’s reckless endorsement of an anti-Benue stance, as he openly declared, “The Anti-Open Grazing Law of Benue State is against the Constitution of Nigeria. Fulani have freedom of free movement in all parts of Nigeria.” What leader, entrusted with protecting his people, would make such a treacherous statement in the face of unrelenting terror from herdsmen?
This is not leadership; it is an open betrayal of the people of Benue, a surrender of their ancestral lands to invaders in exchange for political favors.
It is now clear that Ejeh’s so-called peace accord was never about genuine reconciliation—it was a ploy to pacify and weaken the resistance against Fulani incursions. His apology is proof that the deal was a sham, that it failed, and that the blood of those murdered in Apa stains his hands. No amount of revisionism can erase the horrors that unfolded after his ill-fated peace charade.
The people of Benue must now rise beyond political deception and reject leaders who sell their dignity for political expediency. Ejeh’s apology is not an act of remorse—it is an admission of guilt. The sham has been exposed, and no amount of damage control can reverse the disastrous consequences of his ill-conceived deal. The truth remains: the so-called peace accord was a death sentence for the people, and Ejeh himself has unwittingly confirmed it.
