President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday
directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin, and the
Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to immediately secure
communities under the attacks of herdsmen and arrest the perpetrators.
Buhari stated this in his speech
delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Information, Culture and
Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the public presentation of a book by
the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, titled, ‘Who will love my
country: Ideas for building the Nigeria of our dream’.
Buhari lamented the carnage and
destruction of property being perpetrated by the herdsmen, noting that
his government would no longer tolerate any form of lawlessness and
killing of innocent citizens.
He said, “Let me use this platform to
condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the attack perpetrated on the
Ukpabu Nimbo community in the Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu State on Monday.
“I deeply sympathise with all those who lost their dear ones as well as those who lost their properties in the attack.
“I have directed the Chief of Defence
Staff and the Inspector-General of Police to secure all communities
under the attacks by herdsmen, and to go after all the groups
terrorising innocent people all over the country. This government will
not allow these attacks to continue.”
The President added that the issues
raised by Ekweremadu in his book amounted to preaching to the converted
as his administration was set to initiate a major campaign, tagged,
‘Change Begins With Me’, aimed at getting Nigerians to realise that the
change they so much desire starts with them.
Buhari stated, “If we all change our
ways for the better, the society itself will change for the better. Our
2016 budget is designed to bring millions of our people out of poverty,
enhance the living conditions of the citizens and bring smiles to their
faces.
“Anyone, who puts his or her country
over and above other interests, will not engage in unbridled corruption,
divert money meant for public use to private purposes or divert money
for the national treasury into private pockets.”
A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu
Gowon, who was chairman on the occasion, condemned the activities of the
herdsmen, expressing satisfaction that the cattle rearers menace would
not threaten the unity of the country.
He said, “Many years back, we fought a
war to remain united, indivisible nation. This was because we believed
and still believe that what binds us is far greater than what divides
us.
“Definitely not insurgency or Fulani
herdsmen’s menace will divide us because with the help of God and
cooperation of the citizenry and the gallant security forces, we shall
soon conquer.”
Ekweremadu called on Nigerian leaders to
govern effectively and use power wisely, saying that was the only way
to safeguard the citizens’ interest.
He also challenged Nigerians to show
more love for fatherland by rising above tribe, ethnic, religious and
political differences.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Katsina
State, Alhaji Aminu Masari, has attributed the massive arms
proliferation in the hands of herdsmen to the crises in some north
African and West African countries that shared borders with the northern
states in the country.
Masari, who stated this while speaking
on efforts to attract investors to his state through an economic summit
being planned by his government, urged the Federal Government to tackle
the menace before it degenerated into something serious.
He said, “There are about seven local
government areas that border the local forest that has remained a route
that has been in existence since the colonial era. It passes through
Mali, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and also shares the forest with
Niger Republic.
“So all the local government areas that
border the forest are seriously affected. I will go and see the Chief of
Army Staff on the issue of security challenge because we want to
attract investors to our state.
“These renewed criminal activities could
be linked to the crisis in the north African countries and even part of
West Africa, where there has been an inflow of arms and ammunition.”
Arase orders arrest of suspected policeman
Meanwhile, Arase has ordered the
detention of a policeman, one Corporal Chukwu, who allegedly aided
Fulani herdsmen during the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo, a community in the
Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu State.
Arase visited the community on Wednesday.
The police chief ordered Chukwu’s
immediate detention after the villagers informed him that the policeman
had collaborated with the herdsmen in their notorious activities in the
community.
Addressing journalists after inspecting
the embattled community, Arase noted that the police corporal would be
dismissed and prosecuted if the allegations against him were
established.
He stressed that any police personnel that aided and abetted crime would suffer dire consequences.
“I have zero tolerance for any policeman that connives with any criminal gang.
“I have already ordered that he (Chukwu)
be put in custody and if after investigation, it is discovered that he
connived with the people that carried out this attack, I must make sure
that he gets out of the Nigeria Police Force,” Arase said.
The IGP also expressed sadness with the killings in the community.
He assured the people that the perpetrators would be apprehended and brought to book.
He added, “I am not happy about it, even the death of one person.
“I want to assure every Nigerian that
nobody takes the life of any other Nigerian and goes scot-free; we will
catch them and prosecute them.”
Meanwhile, there was tension in Enugu on
Wednesday following reports that Fulani herdsmen attempted to attack
Umuchigbo, a community in the Nike area of the state capital.
Although details of the attempted attack
are still sketchy as of the time of filing this report, it was learnt
that news of the alleged incident caused a scare among residents in the
Nike area.
Our correspondent learnt that schools
were shut hurriedly, before closing time, when reports of the alleged
attempted attack spread.
The police had not confirmed the alleged attempted attack as of the time of filing this report.
Okorocha asks Buhari to intervene in killings
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State
has appealed to Buhari to urgently intervene in the repeated killings in
the South-East by herdsmen, describing the recent killings in Enugu
State as very unfortunate and barbaric.
Okorocha stated this on Wednesday while addressing traditional rulers in the state in Owerri, the state capital.
He called on the monarchs to take
absolute control of security in their various communities, asking them
to promote peaceful co-existence between their people and people from
other areas.
The governor appealed for calm on the
part of both Enugu people in particular and the South-East in general,
expressing optimism that Buhari would address the unfortunate
development.
Okorocha sympathised with the families
of those who lost their beloved ones and appealed for peace in the
region, promising that the government within the zone was on top of the
matter.
He added, “This is an important meeting.
I want to kindly request all of you to take responsibility for security
in your domains to ensure peaceful co-existence between the Igbo and
other Nigerians living in their areas.
“The killing in Enugu State was inhuman and those behind the killings should be made to face the law.”
Attacks may assume B’Haram dimension, says Army chief
The Head, Defence Headquarters Committee
on Persistent Clashes between Herdsmen and Farmers, Maj. Gen. Edward
Nze, has said attacks on some communities could assume the menace of the
Boko Haram dimension if not checked.
Nze, who paid a courtesy call on the
acting Governor of Benue State, Benson Abounu, at the Benue Peoples
House on Wednesday, told journalists in an interview that the Chief of
Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin, was worried that the clashes
between herdsmen and farmers were beginning to threaten national
security.
He said the committee had visited
Nasarawa State, adding that it would proceed to Enugu State after the
assessment of the situation in Benue State.
Nze told the acting governor that the
committee would visit the ravaged communities of Agatu, Kwande and Logo
to assess the level of attacks and the destruction in the areas.
Abounu told the committee’s boss that
the atrocities committed by herdsmen and the dimension of the damage
caused in Agatu and other communities in the state could not be said to
have been perpetrated by the ordinary Fulani herdsmen, calling on the
authorities for more investigation.
“In Agatu LGA, more than six large
communities were razed down and taken over by the herdsmen; we believe
this is beyond some group of people seeking grazing land,” he noted.
While emphasising that Nigeria was
battling with a national problem, Abounu added that if no firm action
was taken, the herdsmen menace would soon pose problems similar in
nature to the Boko Haram insurgency.
“We know that the constitution
guarantees freedom of movement, it does not warrant burning of houses,
killing and taking over the people’s land.
“As we speak, same devastation has taken
place in Tarka, Kwande, Logo and Buruku local government areas of the
state. They kill in a most brutal manner. They are in black uniform,
with AK 47 rifles. They are well trained; we believe they are from
beyond Nigeria,” the deputy governor said.
In a similar vein, the Chairman of the
South-South zone of the Christians Council of Nigeria, Bishop Tunde
Adeleye, on Wednesday, said the continued silence of Buhari on the
increasing attacks by Fulani herdsmen in several parts of the country
had become worrisome and could be misconstrued.
Adeleye, who is also the Bishop of the
Anglican Communion, Calabar Diocese, warned that if necessary steps were
not taken to address the violent attacks, there might be reprisals that
might take ethnic colouration.
He said this in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, during a chat with newsmen.
The Anglican cleric added, “The
continued silence of Mr. President on this violence and deadly attacks
by Fulani herdsmen could be seen as if he is supporting his tribesmen.
He needs to speak now to calm frayed nerves in the country.
“The Fulani herdsmen are now everywhere
in the country, not only with their cows, but with sophisticated arms.
Where or how did they come about such weapons without the knowledge of
the security agencies?
“If action is not taken now, Boko Haram
would be a child’s play. Herdsmen issue is like a time-bomb. They have
become a big risk. They move unhindered and are making other Nigerians
vulnerable.”
While noting that various Christian
groups were praying to God to avert reprisals, Adeleye cautioned the
herdsmen to have respect for human lives.
‘Buhari should resign if he can’t stop herdsmen attacks’
Also, activists under the aegis of
Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice have called on Buhari to stop
the mindless and incessant killings by Fulani herdsmen across the
country.
The chairman of the group, Mr. Sulaiman
Adeniyi, who said this in a statement on Wednesday, asked the President
to resign if he could not protect other Nigerians from the herdsmen
whose activities had led to the destruction of many lives and property.
The group said they had concluded
arrangements to storm Aso Rock Villa to protest the killings which had
become a daily occurrence.
Cattle rearers menace may overtake B’Haram –TMG
Abuja
In its reaction to the latest killings
by Fulani herdsmen in Enugu, the Transition Monitoring Group has
admonished the Federal Government to take urgent actions to end the
attacks and bloodletting across the country.
It stated that the herdsmen attacks
might overtake the Boko Haram problem as the national security
challenge, stressing that the country was under the invasion of the
attackers.
The group, in a statement by its
chairman, Ibrahim Zikirulah, on Wednesday in Abuja, flayed the police
and the Department of State Services for their inability to contain the
spreading violence, adding that they had shown a lack of capacity to
manage the challenge.
It observed that Nigerians knew the
herdsmen as friendly people seeking pastures for their cattle, noting
that they had become laws unto themselves, killing and maiming people in
their host communities.
It said, “TMG is disturbed that in the
face of these criminal and subversive activities, which have the
potential to undermine national unity, the Nigeria Police Force, under
the leadership of Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has
shown a clear lack of capacity to grapple with the challenge.
“On its part too, the Department of
State Services has not demonstrated sufficient resolve to thwart the
machinations of the herdsmen’s killing machine, which is obviously set
to overtake the Boko Haram problem as Nigeria’s biggest national
security headache.
“In the face of the lethargy on the part
of the security agencies, it is therefore of utmost importance that the
Federal Government gives immediate marching orders for clinical
measures to be taken to stem the tide.”
It described the Monday attack in Enugu
as barbaric, saying it was an organised act of terror aimed at inflaming
separatist sentiments, noting that in several communities, women could
not go to their farms unaccompanied due to the state of insecurity
precipitated by the life-threatening activities of the herdsmen.
Posted by Oscar Jonathan
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