by Eric Amodu
It used to be very blissing holidays in the early 80’s visiting Adagbo my maternal country home to spend time with the village chief, Chief Danladi of blessed memory.
It is always a pleasurable trip passing through Akwu to Okokolo to see the great Musa Akpala aka Musa Thunder. Just for the fun, sometimes we take a boat ride through peaceful River Benue that flows silently into various parts of Agatu.
Despite the distance, we still prefer to tour across the riverine villages by boat to either Ocholonya or Abogbe. From there, we then hit the road by foot to Adagbo. Sometimes, you walk across bridgeless shallow waters along the road and you could marched on live fishes like tilapia, African longfish and the weird electric fish.
These uncommon experiences made Agatu a home synonymous to nature.
Yes, the serene environment isn’t the most beautiful thing about the Agatu, but the hospitality and the uncommon values the people placed on every visitors that comes in.
From Owetto-Obagaji-Ochologba-Egba- Aila down to Adagbo. We longed to see every nights because we listen to tales, local songs, hide and seek games and could go to the river in groups to swim under the moonlight.
Every morning comes with unique events like new year, Christmas, 1st October and the masquerade festivals.
Today, we lost all the peace and happiness that goes with my maternal country home.
The swampy area that nature gave us brought us all these pains, tears, bloodshed and agony by the Fulani herdsmen.
Over the weekend I visited some of these places and all I could see was kids, mothers and fathers living without hopes, pains, burnt houses, destroyed and burnt farm harvests and carcasses.
Walked towards the tallest iroko tree that provides the breezy weather in the village lost its glory.
No thanks to the fulani herdsmen.
Today, it’s Agatu. Who knows where next?
I saw a young man who stood to defend his homeland. He came to me and asked me to put on my Bluetooth. I asked him why?
He said, “I want to send you a video”
The video below is what he shared with me.
He said, when they came in during one of the massacre that claimed over 300 lives. Some of the Fulani militants died when they stood to defend the land. And from the pocket of one of the dead Fulanis was his phone he used in recording the last moment before their trip.
This morning, I heard someone say on radio that Fulanis don’t carry AK47. That any of them with AK47 is not a Fulani man.
Watch for yourself. Who are these men?
Don’t take side with them, be you a councilor, chairman, governor, honorable, senator, minister or even a PRESIDENT.
Speak against this scourge called Fulani marauders.
Odenyi, a riverine village in Nasarawa State gave the Fulani militia their village as a launching pad against Agatu Today, he same Fulani dislodged them from their village. Same with the Tiv villages that have boundaries with the Agatu communities that supported the Fulanis with their boundaries have been attacked by same Fulani terrorists.
All the region that shares boundaries with Loko, a riverine village in Nasarawa State is highly prone to their attacks now because they habours over 45% of the Fulanis causing mayhem in that axis and beyond.
What you sow you reap, what you don’t stand against will fight you.
Today it is Agatu, who knows where next?
No distance is too far away from the reach of these herdsmen.
Just this Monday, April 25, 2016, over 500 of this Fulani herdsmen invaded Ukpabi, Nimbo in Uzo- Uwani LGA of Enugu State and massacred worshipers inside the Catholic Church in the village in the early hours of the morning.
They are closer to you than you think.
Broadcast this genocide against innocent Nigerians, share and speak against it before it gets to you.
NOTE: It’s against the Fulani culture and tradition to kick against a fellow Fulani’s act. Be it evil or good.
Hence, the Fulani president of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari will never says a word against his kinsmen. He knows the consequences.
Sellah!
Eric Amodu is an activist. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
