[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Nigerian government will make me go through hell just to register one pump action yet they will turn a blind eye to the army of Fulani herdsmen walking around in the open with sophisticated, non licensable, illegal to carry, assault rifles and other fire arms. Imagine the audacity with which he strolls.
OUR GOVERNMENT IS STILL SILENT
The incessant attack of innocent farmers by the notorious Fulani herdsmen has claimed thousands of life yet the Nigerian government is just watching and doing nothing. Armed to the teeth with sophisticated weapons, a far cry from the traditional machetes, bows and arrows, they were known with, the herdsmen attack and kill villagers in different parts of the country in order to force their will on the people who may not allow their cattle to graze on their farmlands.
THIS HAS GONE ON FOR TOO LONG
These horrific activities of the barbaric Fulani herdsmen started first from the North-Central part of the country with states like Benue, Taraba and Plateau falling hard to their rampage. People were being killed in hundreds, children butchered, their homes destroyed and their villages burnt to the ground even states like Kaduna are gravely affected with villages like Sankwai, Tekum and Unguwarr Gata in Kaura Local Government almost destroyed.
Today, the carnage has snowballed to other regions in the South-East. There is no communities in the South East region where the plunder of the Fulani herdsmen is not visible. Of the 482 communities in Enugu State, one cannot boast of one community that has not had its fair share of these Fulani herdsmen’s barbaric activities, which leave in their wake, perineal tears of sorrow from destruction of their farms, rape of their women in their farms, killing of their men, and burning down of their villages.
These attacks and wanton destruction had been carried to Abia, Edo, Ebonyi, Delta, and even Lagos activities of Fulani herdsmen are the same.
WE MUST DEFEND OUR LANDS
Surprisingly, there are records of Fulani Herdsmen, defying and attacking relevant authorities like the police and other security agents.
In 2013, they audaciously attacked the convoy of former Benue State Governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam, at Tse Aekenyi in Guma Local Government Area of the state. Following the Agatu massacre in Benue, they had attacked the former senate leader, David Mark, on his way from the assessment of damage of their attack.
Following the recent abduction of Chief Olu Falae, a group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo stakeholders called on President Muhammadu Buhari to “cage the Fulani herdsmen now.” Many Southeast socio-political leaders perceive the menace of these Fulani herdsmen as a threat to every Nigerian as their activities are nationwide. This has obviously gone beyond the herdsmen invasion; this is real WAR on Nigeria.
The calls on the military to assist these affected communities through their state governments in tackling the increasing wave of attacks on communities by these murderous Fulani herdsmen had fallen on deaf ears.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has described as worrisome, “the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari on the alleged killing of harmless Nigerians by Fulani Herdsmen.” Fayose said, Following the wanton murder of over 300 Agatu people of Benue State and the silence of the Federal Government on this genocide is a clear invitation to chaos.”
The governor further asked why the President is silent now that Fulani herdsmen are allegedly killing people, raping women, and destroying farmlands in Benue State in particular and other states in the country? Is the President unmindful of the possibility of Nigerians seeing his silence as conspiracy?
WE MUST TAKE THESE COWS BY THE HORNS
If the security agents and especially the military forces of Nigeria cannot provide security for us either by law or by force, we will have to defend ourselves. We cannot abandon our children and our wives to die just like that. If the leaders we voted for to provide security for our communities couldn’t do that for us, we must get self-help. We must return to our homes and defend our land matching the firepower of these herdsmen, who are usually armed to the teeth, we cannot allow anybody to make us slaves in our home land.
Already vigilante groups are being formed in the various communities around Delta State and other areas bedevilled by these attacks.
Daniel Wilson is a public affairs analyst. He can be reached on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
