[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e should stop eating beef in Nigeria. Here’s why? It is now officially worse than blood diamonds.
The people who rear cows and trade in cows are terrorists popularly known as Fulani herdsmen. They are no ordinary ‘herdsmen’, they are terrorists. A report published by Independent UK, named the Fulani Herdsmen as the fourth deadliest in the world.
You must have heard about Blood Diamonds. They are also known as conflict diamonds. They are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance rebels or warlords activities resulting in the death and displacement of millions. In addition, in the process of mining these diamonds, people are beaten, maimed and killed. Around the world, government initiatives have been put in place to stem the flow of blood diamonds, and to end its trade. People discovered to be trading in blood diamonds have been jailed.
The people who rear and sell cows in Nigeria are Fulani herdsmen. They move their cows around the country in a nomadic fashion, leaving death, tears, and sorrow in their wake. They move into communities, mostly farming communities, and mostly Christian communities and kill the people in those communities; men, women, and children. No one is spared – except Muslims and Mosques. And they proceed to take over their homes and villages just to gain access to their farmlands which they use to feed their cows.
These murderous gang have a militia group, now tagged the Fulani Janjaweed by human rights groups, carry out systematic mass rapes of women and little girls.
In March of this year, there was a well publicised incident in Agatu, a community in Benue State in Nigeria. Over 500 people were killed by these herdsmen, houses were burnt, children were burnt to death. As a matter of fact, a UN representative, Mrs. Angele Dikongue Atangana confessed that the Agatu Massacre was her worst ever in covering crises.
So for every piece of beef you eat, think of it this way, women were raped, children killed and burned, men killed, women killed, women’s bellies ripped open to remove unborn babies just so that roving herdsmen can roam freely in communities and feed their cows on other people’s cash crops.
Essentially the beef sold in Nigeria is soaked in innocent blood: the blood of children killed in their sleep and burned, the blood of decent hardworking men and women. Entire three-generation families have been wiped out – grandparents, parents and children – murdered in the night, burnt in their own homes. Why? So that a group of maniacs can rear cows and sell it to make money.
Here is the truth. Beef in Nigeria is worse than blood diamonds. If we continue to patronize the trade of these terrorists by eating beef, we are aiding, abetting, and supporting the massacre of innocent boys, girls, men, and women.
All over the world, people eat beef and yet no one has been killed, maimed, raped, and communities wiped out for it. Beef2Live published the world beef consumption per capita. In the report, Hong Kong, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, United States, Australia, Chile, Paraguay, Canada and Kazakhstan are in the top 10. Nigeria is not even listed in the top 20, yet girls, boys, women and men are murdered so that a group of blood-thirsty lunatics can rear their cows and sell to the rest of the country.
What is most troubling is that the current president of Nigeria is of the Fulani tribe, and appears to be protecting his tribesmen. General Muhammadu Buhari is more interested and fired up to kill pipeline vandals who destroy pipelines in the Niger Delta. The president of Nigeria is more fired up to deal with unarmed protesters in the South East of Nigeria who demand to be given their own country, Biafra. Just last week, Kaduna State government admitted that it secretly buried in mass graves 375 members of the Shi’ite sect murdered by Nigerian soldiers. Buhari is the president of Nigeria and commander-in-chief of the armed forces and he cannot absolve himself of responsibility for the genocidal atrocities of soldiers under his command.
With a commander-in-chief so fired up to deal severely with a non-violent activist group in the South East of Nigeria, it is curious why armed Fulani herdsmen move around the country freely destroying mostly Christian communities, killing people, burning children, destroying farmlands just to rear their cows to the extent that their acts of violence are termed genocide. And what is the response of the ‘strong man’ in Aso Rock? Radio silence! As a matter of fact, no single ‘Fulani herdsman’ has ever been arrested for these vile acts. This is such a shame!
Terrorists typically do what they know best, terrorise. We the people should do what we can; be citizens. Cripple the economy behind these murderous acts. It’s a matter of cause and effect. If we continue providing the demand for beef, in order to supply the beef; boys, girls, men and women who live and breathe today will soon lie lifeless, burnt, and cut open by this genocidal government backed militia. As decent human beings, we have a responsibility to view human life as sacred.
I am not advocating that Nigeria should become vegetarian or vegan? No, not at all. What I am advocating is that we switch completely and fully to other kinds of meat. There are various kinds of meat you could switch to, namely goat meat, chicken, fish, stockfish, snails, pork, anything else, NOT JUST BEEF. Others kinds of meat are reared in a decent harmless way.
Next time you are about to put a piece of beef in your mouth, remember the children who were killed and burned in their sleep in Agatu, and those who are killed everyday just so that some people can rear cows and sell beef. The beef you eat is essentially soaked in the blood of children, the blood of innocent families, and communities. Let us stop providing a market for these murderers by pouring money into the cow trade. Channel your money for meat elsewhere, into other forms of meat that are reared and sold in as a business, not as terrorism and murder.
Nigeria, Let us boycott beef till further notice!
Next Steps
Each individual in Nigeria should take responsibility and boycott beef. Beef sellers should switch to other kinds of meat. If patrons of restaurants stop asking for beef, restaurants will stop selling beef. If you stop buying beef, meat sellers will stop selling.
Advocacy groups should make this a priority issue.
Churches and fellowships should raise awareness of this matter of blood beef and make it a priority issue.
Religious organisations should raise awareness and make it a priority issue.
Civic organisations should raise awareness and make it a priority issue.
Women groups should raise awareness and make it a priority issue.
Children’s charities should raise awareness and make it a priority issue.
Let’s publicize this article. Take responsibility as you read this.
God bless you. God bless Nigeria.
Edikan Uko is a business strategist and human capital management professional. She tweets from @EdikanUko.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
