[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hose Fulani Herdsmen SYSTEMATICALLY going round the country, especially in the South West and areas of the South South; not to talk of their murderous activities in the Middle Belt, …they will be the catalyst for the dismembering of Nigeria soon if care is not taken.
Afenifere and a coalition of Yoruba political organisations have sounded a note of warning about their activities in a press conference a couple of days ago and everyone is turning a blind eye to their warnings. But it should be taken seriously.
There are tens of cases everyday by these Herdsmen which are not reported or deliberately underreported by a compromised press. These guys go all out to deliberately graze in areas outside their zones and after grazing, cause destruction and murder when asked to leave by the owners of such land. They keep doing this.
I personally have witnessed such in Benin a few months ago in my friend’s farmland. These guys have destroyed and killed in Ibadan, Osun, Ondo, Benin, Imo, Abia, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Delta and a few other states.
It seems they have become bolder with their son in power; a sort of cheeky boldness which challenges anyone to dare do anything to them.
And there has been no official government strategy or action to curb these elements. And they seem to be getting more and more destructive and murderous with each passing incident.
The Trojan War was fought because of the thighs of a woman in ancient times. And there are a few other tales of how mundane incidents sparked off wars across the globe. I can’t remember the European country where just breaking an egg for breakfast caused a civil war.
It wouldn’t be more mundane than what might happen in Nigeria if cows become the reasons for another war in Nigeria
Perhaps, the authorities can chew the cud on this.
Charles Novia is an award-winning filmmaker. He is founder of November Productions and November Records. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
