Following demand for an apology by Governor Abdullahi Sule from Professor Zachary Gundu over his comments that Nasarawa State was harbouring gunmen killing Benue citizens, the Benue State born Archaeologist, has urged the governor to approach the court to enable them meet and thrash out the matter legally.
Governor Sule, through his legal counsel, Dr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, had in a letter dated July 22, 2025, demanded a retraction and apology from Prof Gundu over his comments at the News Central Town Hall meeting, saying the comments caused him unquantifiable damage and injured his reputation in the eyes and minds of the right-thinking persons in the society.
But, Prof Gundu, in a response through his counsel, Prof. Sebastian Hon, SAN, dismissed the demand for retraction and apology, by Governor Sule, stressing that he spoke the truth, thus, cannot, under any guise, comply with such demands.
Gundu had at a town hall meeting organised by News Central Television on the insecurity challenges in North Central, Nigeria, alleged that Nasarawa State has become a safe haven for so-called unknown gunmen terrorising the people of Benue state.
Prof Gundu in the letter by his counsel, Prof Hon wrote: “We have the instructions of our client to dismiss the demands made in your letter of July 22, 2025. Our client cannot, under any guise, comply with those demands. We do hope you will advise your client accordingly.
“The volume of evidence at the disposal of Prof Gundu to establish beyond all shadows of doubt that the murderous Fulani herdsmen attacking Benue State on several fronts are always housed in Nasarawa State by successive State Governors of Nassarawa State, including Governor Sule, will shock the governor,” he stated.
Prof Gundu vowed that he shall release all of the pieces of evidence when they meet in court, stressing that between 2020 and 2025, Governor Sule has been consistently raising alarm over the “influx” of murderous bandits into Nasarawa State.
Prof Hon, SAN., further said; “Just as our Client stated at that public outing, your Client’s predecessor, Tanko Al-Makura, once claimed that the bandits operating in and from Nasarawa State were “hunters,” when there are no hunting forests or ranges in Nasarawa State.”
Prof. Hon annexed and attached a Vanguard Newspaper report of August 19, 2020 – wherein Governor Sule was quoted as saying that the migrating bandits were those displaced from elsewhere in Nigeria and in Mangu, Plateau State.
Prof. Hon also made reference to a Channels TV broadcast of January 22, 2021, wherein Governor Sule was quoted as telling late President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock that Boko Haram terrorists had entered into Nasarawa State in large numbers.
He said; “Governor Sule was also quoted in the Channels Television broadcast as saying that these (terrorists) group belonged to the Darussalam Sect, which had been dislodged from neighbouring Niger State”.
Other materials attached in the letter to Governor Sule’s lawyer include news reports from The Authority Newspaper of March 2, 2021, wherein Governor Sule was again reported as saying that Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen were flooding into Nasarawa State in large numbers.
He further said; “Other annexures to the letter includes, a Daily Trust E-Paper of July 19, 2023 – where Governor Sule was reported as saying that the bandits flooding Nasarawa State were those displaced from Mangu, Plateau State, who then moved into the border area between Keana Local Government Area of the State and Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, among many others.
In all, the letter contains eight annexure which were marked “A-H” even as Prof Hon also said that, to further prove that Governor Sule is not free from Prof. Gundu’s accusations, reminded Dr. Raji, of what Governor Sule told Channels TV in June, 2025 after the recent Yelwata massacre that Nasarawa State has only a few Fulani herdsmen; hence the State could not have been habouring the large number of those murderers who move to Benue to kill, maim and recoil back to Nasarawa.
In the words of Prof Hon; “This is a sharp contrast to his famed ‘there is an influx of Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram members into Nasarawa State.’
The constitutional lawyer therefore wondered why the sudden reversal in public representation from a person who had been saying for the past five years at least that there has been a consistent “influx” of armed Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram elements into that same State.
Prof Gundu through his counsel, therefore advised Dr. Raji, SAN, to enquire from his client (Governor Sule) whether at any point since announcing such “influx,” he has also announced “expulsion” or “voluntary migration” out of Nasarawa State of those criminal elements.
Prof Hon further reminded Dr Raji that Governor Sule knows that allegations of such nature did not start with Prof. Gundu, as in that same Channels TV interview in June 2025, Governor Sule stated that the immediate past Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, was no longer in talking terms with former governor of Nassarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura, on account of this same issue of Nasarawa State harbouring armed Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram elements.
Hear Gov Sule; “I went to Governor Ortom to say, what is really happening between you and my predecessor? He said it’s because of this and that, and I said okay, calm down, I am willing to sit down with you to find a solution,” Sule was quoted to have stated.
Commenting on the dicey issue of land grabbing at the behest of Governor Sule, Prof. Hon, SAN maintained that his client stands his grounds and drew the attention of the counsel to Governor Sule to the comments by Tiv Community leaders in Awe, Doma, Keana and Obi Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State, led by Jerry Aondo, SAN, at a recent press conference in Abuja, where he alleged that Governor Sule has seized and is still seizing large swathes of lands from Tiv people in Nasarawa State, under a so called “agricultural mandate”.
He also drew the attention of Dr. Raji to Suit No. NSD/LF 44/2025, before a Nassarawa State High Court, where 17 persons of Tiv origin in Nasarawa State sued Governor Sule, several agencies of the Nasarawa State Government and the Nigerian Army, seeking judicial reliefs against forceful seizure of their lands and eviction from their ancestral farmlands running into thousands of hectares.
Prof Hon noted that the above suit is still pending, hence he will say no more about it, adding that, Governor Sule has already entered appearance so should be able to furnish his counsel with the court processes in the suit.
