President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin, and the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to immediately secure communities under the attacks of herdsmen and arrest the perpetrators.
Buhari stated this in his speech delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the public presentation of a book by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, titled, ‘Who will love my country: Ideas for building the Nigeria of our dream’.
Buhari lamented the carnage and destruction of property being perpetrated by the herdsmen, noting that his government would no longer tolerate any form of lawlessness and killing of innocent citizens.
He said, “Let me use this platform to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the attack perpetrated on the Ukpabu Nimbo community in the Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu State on Monday.
“I deeply sympathise with all those who lost their dear ones as well as those who lost their properties in the attack.
“I have directed the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police to secure all communities under the attacks by herdsmen, and to go after all the groups terrorising innocent people all over the country. This government will not allow these attacks to continue.”
The President added that the issues raised by Ekweremadu in his book amounted to preaching to the converted as his administration was set to initiate a major campaign, tagged, ‘Change Begins With Me’, aimed at getting Nigerians to realise that the change they so much desire starts with them.
Buhari stated, “If we all change our ways for the better, the society itself will change for the better. Our 2016 budget is designed to bring millions of our people out of poverty, enhance the living conditions of the citizens and bring smiles to their faces.
“Anyone, who puts his or her country over and above other interests, will not engage in unbridled corruption, divert money meant for public use to private purposes or divert money for the national treasury into private pockets.”
A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who was chairman on the occasion, condemned the activities of the herdsmen, expressing satisfaction that the cattle rearers menace would not threaten the unity of the country.
He said, “Many years back, we fought a war to remain united, indivisible nation. This was because we believed and still believe that what binds us is far greater than what divides us.
“Definitely not insurgency or Fulani herdsmen’s menace will divide us because with the help of God and cooperation of the citizenry and the gallant security forces, we shall soon conquer.”
Ekweremadu called on Nigerian leaders to govern effectively and use power wisely, saying that was the only way to safeguard the citizens’ interest.
He also challenged Nigerians to show more love for fatherland by rising above tribe, ethnic, religious and political differences.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Aminu Masari, has attributed the massive arms proliferation in the hands of herdsmen to the crises in some north African and West African countries that shared borders with the northern states in the country.
Masari, who stated this while speaking on efforts to attract investors to his state through an economic summit being planned by his government, urged the Federal Government to tackle the menace before it degenerated into something serious.
He said, “There are about seven local government areas that border the local forest that has remained a route that has been in existence since the colonial era. It passes through Mali, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and also shares the forest with Niger Republic.
“So all the local government areas that border the forest are seriously affected. I will go and see the Chief of Army Staff on the issue of security challenge because we want to attract investors to our state.
“These renewed criminal activities could be linked to the crisis in the north African countries and even part of West Africa, where there has been an inflow of arms and ammunition.”
Arase orders arrest of suspected policeman
Meanwhile, Arase has ordered the detention of a policeman, one Corporal Chukwu, who allegedly aided Fulani herdsmen during the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo, a community in the Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu State.
Arase visited the community on Wednesday.
The police chief ordered Chukwu’s immediate detention after the villagers informed him that the policeman had collaborated with the herdsmen in their notorious activities in the community.
Addressing journalists after inspecting the embattled community, Arase noted that the police corporal would be dismissed and prosecuted if the allegations against him were established.
He stressed that any police personnel that aided and abetted crime would suffer dire consequences.
“I have zero tolerance for any policeman that connives with any criminal gang.
“I have already ordered that he (Chukwu) be put in custody and if after investigation, it is discovered that he connived with the people that carried out this attack, I must make sure that he gets out of the Nigeria Police Force,” Arase said.
The IGP also expressed sadness with the killings in the community.
He assured the people that the perpetrators would be apprehended and brought to book.
He added, “I am not happy about it, even the death of one person.
“I want to assure every Nigerian that nobody takes the life of any other Nigerian and goes scot-free; we will catch them and prosecute them.”
Meanwhile, there was tension in Enugu on Wednesday following reports that Fulani herdsmen attempted to attack Umuchigbo, a community in the Nike area of the state capital.
Although details of the attempted attack are still sketchy as of the time of filing this report, it was learnt that news of the alleged incident caused a scare among residents in the Nike area.
Our correspondent learnt that schools were shut hurriedly, before closing time, when reports of the alleged attempted attack spread.
The police had not confirmed the alleged attempted attack as of the time of filing this report.
Okorocha asks Buhari to intervene in killings
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has appealed to Buhari to urgently intervene in the repeated killings in the South-East by herdsmen, describing the recent killings in Enugu State as very unfortunate and barbaric.
Okorocha stated this on Wednesday while addressing traditional rulers in the state in Owerri, the state capital.
He called on the monarchs to take absolute control of security in their various communities, asking them to promote peaceful co-existence between their people and people from other areas.
The governor appealed for calm on the part of both Enugu people in particular and the South-East in general, expressing optimism that Buhari would address the unfortunate development.
Okorocha sympathised with the families of those who lost their beloved ones and appealed for peace in the region, promising that the government within the zone was on top of the matter.
He added, “This is an important meeting. I want to kindly request all of you to take responsibility for security in your domains to ensure peaceful co-existence between the Igbo and other Nigerians living in their areas.
“The killing in Enugu State was inhuman and those behind the killings should be made to face the law.”
Attacks may assume B’Haram dimension, says Army chief
The Head, Defence Headquarters Committee on Persistent Clashes between Herdsmen and Farmers, Maj. Gen. Edward Nze, has said attacks on some communities could assume the menace of the Boko Haram dimension if not checked.
Nze, who paid a courtesy call on the acting Governor of Benue State, Benson Abounu, at the Benue Peoples House on Wednesday, told journalists in an interview that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin, was worried that the clashes between herdsmen and farmers were beginning to threaten national security.
He said the committee had visited Nasarawa State, adding that it would proceed to Enugu State after the assessment of the situation in Benue State.
Nze told the acting governor that the committee would visit the ravaged communities of Agatu, Kwande and Logo to assess the level of attacks and the destruction in the areas.
Abounu told the committee’s boss that the atrocities committed by herdsmen and the dimension of the damage caused in Agatu and other communities in the state could not be said to have been perpetrated by the ordinary Fulani herdsmen, calling on the authorities for more investigation.
“In Agatu LGA, more than six large communities were razed down and taken over by the herdsmen; we believe this is beyond some group of people seeking grazing land,” he noted.
While emphasising that Nigeria was battling with a national problem, Abounu added that if no firm action was taken, the herdsmen menace would soon pose problems similar in nature to the Boko Haram insurgency.
“We know that the constitution guarantees freedom of movement, it does not warrant burning of houses, killing and taking over the people’s land.
“As we speak, same devastation has taken place in Tarka, Kwande, Logo and Buruku local government areas of the state. They kill in a most brutal manner. They are in black uniform, with AK 47 rifles. They are well trained; we believe they are from beyond Nigeria,” the deputy governor said.
In a similar vein, the Chairman of the South-South zone of the Christians Council of Nigeria, Bishop Tunde Adeleye, on Wednesday, said the continued silence of Buhari on the increasing attacks by Fulani herdsmen in several parts of the country had become worrisome and could be misconstrued.
Adeleye, who is also the Bishop of the Anglican Communion, Calabar Diocese, warned that if necessary steps were not taken to address the violent attacks, there might be reprisals that might take ethnic colouration.
He said this in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, during a chat with newsmen.
The Anglican cleric added, “The continued silence of Mr. President on this violence and deadly attacks by Fulani herdsmen could be seen as if he is supporting his tribesmen. He needs to speak now to calm frayed nerves in the country.
“The Fulani herdsmen are now everywhere in the country, not only with their cows, but with sophisticated arms. Where or how did they come about such weapons without the knowledge of the security agencies?
“If action is not taken now, Boko Haram would be a child’s play. Herdsmen issue is like a time-bomb. They have become a big risk. They move unhindered and are making other Nigerians vulnerable.”
While noting that various Christian groups were praying to God to avert reprisals, Adeleye cautioned the herdsmen to have respect for human lives.
‘Buhari should resign if he can’t stop herdsmen attacks’
Also, activists under the aegis of Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice have called on Buhari to stop the mindless and incessant killings by Fulani herdsmen across the country.
The chairman of the group, Mr. Sulaiman Adeniyi, who said this in a statement on Wednesday, asked the President to resign if he could not protect other Nigerians from the herdsmen whose activities had led to the destruction of many lives and property.
The group said they had concluded arrangements to storm Aso Rock Villa to protest the killings which had become a daily occurrence.
Cattle rearers menace may overtake B’Haram –TMG
Abuja
In its reaction to the latest killings by Fulani herdsmen in Enugu, the Transition Monitoring Group has admonished the Federal Government to take urgent actions to end the attacks and bloodletting across the country.
It stated that the herdsmen attacks might overtake the Boko Haram problem as the national security challenge, stressing that the country was under the invasion of the attackers.
The group, in a statement by its chairman, Ibrahim Zikirulah, on Wednesday in Abuja, flayed the police and the Department of State Services for their inability to contain the spreading violence, adding that they had shown a lack of capacity to manage the challenge.
It observed that Nigerians knew the herdsmen as friendly people seeking pastures for their cattle, noting that they had become laws unto themselves, killing and maiming people in their host communities.
It said, “TMG is disturbed that in the face of these criminal and subversive activities, which have the potential to undermine national unity, the Nigeria Police Force, under the leadership of Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has shown a clear lack of capacity to grapple with the challenge.
“On its part too, the Department of State Services has not demonstrated sufficient resolve to thwart the machinations of the herdsmen’s killing machine, which is obviously set to overtake the Boko Haram problem as Nigeria’s biggest national security headache.
“In the face of the lethargy on the part of the security agencies, it is therefore of utmost importance that the Federal Government gives immediate marching orders for clinical measures to be taken to stem the tide.”
It described the Monday attack in Enugu as barbaric, saying it was an organised act of terror aimed at inflaming separatist sentiments, noting that in several communities, women could not go to their farms unaccompanied due to the state of insecurity precipitated by the life-threatening activities of the herdsmen.
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