A Grim statistics
According to a research conducted by former of State of Nigeria, Rtd General Abdulsalami Abubakar, 2,500 people killed; 62,000 people displaced; $13.7 biHeadllion lost to clashes orchestrated by Herdsmen and 47 per cent of the internally-generated revenue in the affected states was lost. This statistics is for year 2016 alone, barely one year after the Buhari administration was inaugurated. How did we get here?
A Brief History
Nigeria at independence in 1960 was called the Giant of Africa owing to it's abundance of human and natural resources. Indeed she was the envy of other African states. But the country remained divided along ethnic and religious boundaries. The Hausa Fulani who are predominantly Muslims occupy the northern part of Nigeria while the South is occupied by the Yoruba's and Igbos who are predominantly Christians. Fast forward to 2018 and I have to do another introduction for the same country. Permit me to reintroduce you to the Buhari led Nigeria where cows are deemed more important to humans and Herdsmen are above what is left of the law.
Genesis of Herdsmen lawlessness
How did the supposed giant of Africa get to this state of lawlessness? It all started in May 29, 2015 when the Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government was inaugurated. Ever since, the Fulani's who are predominantly domiciled in the North spread across the country like a wild fire. Of course you can't blame them because they believe Nigeria belongs to the Fulani's. The Buhari led Federal Government appointment justifies their claim as the Hausa Fulani's occupy 90% of key appointments in the security sector. Other sectors didn't fare better either.
As at the beginning of this year alone more than 80 people have been killed by the heavily armed Fulani Herdsmen in Benue state alone, yet no one was brought to book. According to Isa Sanusi, spokesman Amnesty International Nigeria,
"There’s no accountability, that’s the issue, previous perpetrators have never been punished, impunity is the most dangerous thing." Sadly, each time there is an out break of violence, the Federal Government would always promise to crackdown on the perpetrators yet nothing is done. To make matters worse, Herdsmen now walk around brazenly with heavy fire weapons with the government and security agencies not restricting them. Indeed this supports the conspiracy theory that President Buhari was voted into power by the predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria to aid the islamization of the country and the eventual Hausa Fulani control of Nigeria. The president is of course a Fulani Muslim.
A Lame Response
In his response to enquiries by Reuters, “President Buhari holds the view, that these conflicts are more often than not, as a result of major demographic changes in Nigeria. The country's population was around 63 million when the West African country became independence in 1960, compared with a population now ‘estimated at close to 200 million people."
The land issue
Increase in population without a corresponding increase in land has brought about insurficient grazing and farming land. The herdsmen in a bid to find grazing land for their cattles now trample upon farmlands this is indeed a root cause of the crises. While the cause of the crises is apparently clear, the government's approach to solving the crises and bringing perpetrators to book is rather questionable. Security experts exerts that if the Federal Government had approached the herdsmen crises, the same way it tackled the Boko Haram insurgency and the IPOB crises, notable progress would have been made.
Before it is too late
Before the Herdsmen kills us all I hope the Federal Government will wake up from it's deadly slumber and defend the poor masses that erroneously voted it into power, we hope the Federal Government will remember the principles of the rule of law as propounded by Prof. A.V Dicey, especially the emphasis on 'equality before the law. Indeed I hope that amnesty international and other human right agencies will hold the Federal Government of Nigeria accountable for the unnecessary and avoidable ongoing loss of innocent lives.
Sources
The Vanguard News Papers
The Guardian News Papers
