[dropcap]G[/dropcap]overor Kashim Shettima of Borno State speaking on behalf of the Northern governors Forum of which he is the chairman said that the media and social media users were insulting the Fulani by referring to the terrorist Fulani herdsmen as Fulani. They alluding to kidnapping and Igbos, and other inflammatory comments. But, let’s focus on the protest over identifying herdsmen by their tribe.
It’s not an insult. It’s just a means of identification and far from being an insult. Saying Fulani herdsmen seeks to identify a form of trade and the people.
We identify other groups as “Igbo traders”, “Aba traders”, “Onitsha traders”. It is not insulting. Igbos enjoy trading activities and have an affinity to it.
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We identify groups as “Niger Delta militants”. It is not an insult, it stands to represent agitations for resource control.
Yet, another example if you wanted $500 (Five hundred USD) exchanged for naira you tell go searching for a “Mallam to change your money”.
Also, in academia, scholars are classified in group and identified:
1. Harvard Scholar
2. Cambridge, Oxford
3. Georgetown Scholar
4. Yale, Stanford, and so on.
If you were an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, you identify as “Great Ife”. Alumni of University of Benin identify as “Great UNIBEN”, alumni of University of Calabar identify as “Malabites and Malabresses”, and the list goes on and on.
Then, I have to address the anger expressed by your excellencies. And I wonder why you are anger over a moniker, but you are not angry over the fact that herdsmen of Fulani stock invade people’s farmlands, kill the farmer, their sons, and their babies? Rape the wives and daughters and kill them too? Between an ethnic tag and the articoties committed by the Fulani militia, the armed wing of the herdsmen, which should elicit anger in you.
God forbids if your daughter(s) was a victim of these Fulani terrorists, which not even your enemies would wish you, won’t you ensure the marauders and murderers be brought to justice and soon and the farmers and families adequately compensated by the government?
Should governors from Northern States feel anger? What of the victims of Fulani herdsmen?
Carol Ajie is a human rights attorney. She can be reached by email HERE.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
