By: Manny Ita
“And these little things may not seem like much but after a while they take you off on a direction where you may be a long way off from what other people have been thinking about.” — Roger Penrose
The clashes between Fulani cattle herdsmen and farmers across Nigeria do not in any way look like coincidental happenings, it is looking more and more like deliberate acts defined along the lines of religious animosity.
It all began from minor eruptions in the past few months and now escalating into a full blown crisis potentially threatening the security of the country.
Thousands of people have been displaced in their own country yet again and hundreds killed in cold blood by the rampage of Fulani cattle herdsmen with the government showing little concern about this and thereby perhaps even empowering these misguided people in their ignominious acts of killing their fellow citizens.
To many Nigerians today, It shows in a way that the slogan ‘change’ which they embraced in sincere hope that the country was going to be a better place when they voted in President Buhari is nothing but a scam that was brilliantly employed by an association of strange bedfellows to wrest power from the former ruling party.
With the chips now down, it is becoming clearer that the interest of the Nigerian masses is not in close quarters with those of our oga (s) at the top. That the President himself has been taciturn about the killings, as troubling and portentous as it is confirms this suspicion.
A few months ago in Agatu community in Benue State, Fulani herdsmen had a field day raiding and razing down not fewer than 9 of the 10 villages (wards) that make up the community including Okokolo, Aila, Adagbo Akwu, Omikuidi, Ocholoyna and Odugheho, openly arresting, convicting and executing members of that community, who were both their host and benefactors of their nomadic profession, for allegedly killing their cows. All primary and post primary schools, health centers, worship centers were shut down and some destroyed while even police stations in the area were burnt down.
In its wake, the whole community was displaced with several thousands fleeing their homes and hundreds killed as heavily armed men believed to be of the Fulani sect freely patrolled the community unchallenged.
But for the wisdom and timely intervention of peoples and the government of Ondo State, Fulani herdsmen would have caused untold damage there as well.
Just last week, the same people carried out an attack on innocent and defenceless citizens in Nimbo village in Enugu State, killing and maiming dozens with a Church also burnt, even with security reports showing the impending attack and supposed measures to contain them duly taken.
The extent of carnage was shocking. In less than three months, violent clashes had engulfed Enugu State in Awgu, Nike, Abbi and Nimbo between suspected Fulani Herdsmen and indigenes of the state.
This unhealthy development which sadly has been fostered or subtly supported by even supposed leaders in the north is not only sad but puts a big question mark on the country’s quest for a united, peaceful and prosperous nation.
Past governments had treated this crisis irresponsibly as of nomadic cattle rearers against angry farm owners. The reality today clearly shows that it is far beyond that and if the government and our leaders recognize the potential danger in the festering crisis, they have done pretty little or nothing in terms of farsighted and realistic solutions. It smacks of the inability of government to nip potential threatening developments in the bud before they become full blown crisis for which they soon begin to trot the globe seeking solutions to. In fact, it casts aspersion on the much orchestrated resolve of the government to put the country back on the track of growth and development. No country seeking to attain that milestone will neglect the good functioning of the underpinning parameters which will inform such.
The way Nigerians live and treat each other today, overseen by various governments who themselves care more about their interests than the people stands at variance with Peace and unity which is the motto of the country. Indeed a big mockery on the Nigerian state.
Much more worrisome and in fact strange is the docile attitude of the Federal Government to the inhuman and barbaric acts which have caused cry to the far ends of the earth.
This situation cannot be allowed to continue.
It was time the security agencies in the country become proactive as they always seem to be hibernating when matters of national security erupt. It is a big indictment on the country’s security agencies that these clashes and killings have been going on as if backed by law.
The principal security organs being the Department of State Service (DSS) which is supposed to anticipate these crises and the police that should tackle the problem nipping it in the bud before eruption have woefully failed. In virtually all the previous herdsmen attacks, the security agencies had turned a blind eye to the arming of nomads in defiance of the law. How do these nomads get the guns? Who supplies them with guns and ammunitions? What are the implications to national security of herdsmen or namads now carrying on the job of cow rearing with guns and ammunitions?
Nigeria is deeply divided along tribal and religious lines which the President fairly enough should be clairvoyant to perceive; a division which many closet religious fanatics masquerading as leaders and finding themselves in position of leadership have aggravated. This places on the shoulders of the president the urgent task of unifying the country as a basis for successfully driving home his noble policies of developing the nation. He must not give the impression that all his capacity for discipline is useful only to fight corruption when the equally salient issue of ethnic discord is crying for his decisive, urgent and disciplinarian attention. He needs to begin the work of healing the country.
Sooner or later, the president will have to speak directly on the matter in order for the country to know what his thoughts on the matter are and dispel any fears or suspicion the people may harbor by his continuous taciturnity. He must trust his instinct to say and do what is right on the subject.
Otherwise, the issues surrounding the problem and its implications of escalating into another monster could prove damaging to national well being as well as his presidency.