Let those in authority quickly find the right solutions so we do not have another civil war on our hands
Consistent with my belief that a
Pan-Nigerian resolution of the Fulani herdsmen’s menace, under the lead
of President Muhammadu Buhari, rather than piecemeal and abrasive
reactions to their sundry attacks should be the way out of this
dangerous matter, I wrote as follows in: ‘Chief Olu Falae: Matters
Arising, 15 October, 2015 : ‘the most rabid of humanity should never
have had the audacity to put Chief Falae through such ordeal and the
nation on such tenterhooks that the President had to intervene.
Unfortunately, sad and nauseating as that is, it is the saner part of
this very unfortunate incident as what emerged later as the Afenifere
reaction was totally embarrassing. So uncharacteristic was it that you
begin to wonder if it was coming from the same elders who wined and
dined with the avatar, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. For Awo had a template as
was captured by Idowu Samuel, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, in the
article: Obafemi Awolowo: One prediction, one democracy in which he
wrote: “When Awo stepped out to speak, the shout of ‘’Awooo…! would be
thunderous and almost endless. Papa would pause for more than 30 minutes
to gain control. He had to do it, sensing that the message he was to
pass was germane, eternal and compelling. Awo’s style was simple, direct
and aimed at the amelioration of the problem. He would draw attention,
complete with verifiable facts and figures, indicate the likely
consequences if situation is left unattended to, and then prescribe ways
out of the problem”.
For him, decisions were never taken on the spur of the moment.
Again relying on the lessons of
history, this time around, the ill consequences arising from King Yunfa,
the Hausa Sarkin in Gobir hosting a Fulani immigrant named Usman Dan
Fodiyo and his group in February 1804, his murder and how his kingdom
was subsequently taken over by Fulanis and renamed Sokoto Caliphate,
and the Afonja story in nearby Ilorin, I suggested in: “Neither Grazing
Reserves Nor Ranches –Let History Be Our Guide”, May 15, 2-016, that
neither should be cited in any part of Southern Nigeria. I took this
position in view of the well-known Fulani expansionist tendencies which
will make the presence of Fulani communities everywhere all over the
country extremely dangerous, in my view.
Given my opposition to Afenifere’s
banning of Fulani herdsmen from the Southwest in the wake of Chief
Falae’s kidnap as enumerated above, my initial take on Governor
Fayose’s reaction to the totally unprovoked herdsmen’s attack on a
peaceful Oke-Ako community in the state was to see it as
precipitate, unhelpful and, indeed, dangerous to both the state and
Nigeria. But I have withdrawn these comments until I have reactions
correcting the contents of a report by the Chinua
Achebe Center for Leadership and Development (CACLD), key areas of which
Nigerians must see to know the danger on our hands. Titled: ‘Fulani
Herdsmen Killings; Modus Operandi, Those Involved & Possible
Solutions, it is a very damning report, and the onus is on those implicated to let Nigerians, nay the world, know the truth.
The report begins: “For
a long time, the Nigerian state has been under siege by Fulani herdsmen
terrorists operating under a predictable pattern of reconnaissance,
attack and withdrawal, leading to many deaths and social dislocations.
Since January 2016, there have been documented deaths of approximately
1000 Nigerians from these coordinated Fulani herdsmen attacks. They
claimed to have dispatched a fact finding team to the Southeastern part
of the country to unravel the intricacies and complexities of the Fulani
terrorist group; a group, they say, is rated as the fourth most
dangerous by respected international conflict organizations (According
to the Global Terrorism Index 2015 report; “Fulani militants” killed
1,229 people in 2014 — up from 63 in 2013, Making them the “fourth most
deadly terrorist group”).
These, the report said, are their findings:
- The Fulani herdsmen terrorists are Fulanis but mostly non-Nigerians with only about ten percent of them being Nigerians and live within the Hausa Fulani communities in Ama-Hausa and Garki’s in the South East and South-south regions. They are employees of Fulani cattle owners, who imported them from places like Chad, Niger etc.
- The Fulani Herdsmen terrorists do not own cattle: Fulani herdsmen killers’ major job description is just to kill. They do not own any cattle. Most of them are employed as “security men” whose job is strictly to protect the cattle.
- The Ama-Hausas and Garkis harbor 80% of the Fulani herdsmen killers. The Garkis are mostly Hausas but within them, the Fulani herdsmen killers reside. They are young, less religious with most using drugs and consuming alcohol. They are mostly from Chad, Niger, and other Fulani enclaves outside the Nigerian state. A small percentage of these Fulani youths are Nigerians born in the states where they reside. They lead these Fulanis on their regular rampage.
- The Fulani herdsmen that accompany cattle from the North to the South per season do not own cattle. They are owned by prominent Fulani leaders in the country. Most Nigerian Fulanis are no longer migratory herdsmen, but big men in Nigerian politics and business but still maintain their ownership of cattle. Instead of investing in ranches and buying of grasses from the South, they chose the cheaper alternative of having their kinsmen, imported from outside the country.
5.There are about 5 million Fulani in
Nigeria out of which 3 million are Nigerians. The rich Fulani’s own
almost all the cattle being reared in Nigeria. The remaining 40 percent,
mostly peasants, are from outside the country.
In Garki and Ama-Hausa settlements all
over the country, there exist a few Nigerian Fulanis (some are born in
these states) who coordinate the cattle business. Lastly, there is a
group of Fulani herdsmen who rear the cattle from the north to the
south. They only carry arrows and machetes to help them navigate the
bushes on their way down to the South.
- Fulani Herdsmen Attack.
We learned from the surrounding
communities and from some of the Hausa elders about what constitutes a
Fulani herdsmen attack. According to information we received, when there
is a disagreement between host communities, or between herdsmen and
farmers, the Fulani herdsmen who accompany the cattle will locate the
nearest Fulani settlement and if there is none, they will locate the
nearest Garki or Ama Hausa. When they arrive, they will narrate their
story. The Fulani Nigerian middlemen cattle managers will notify the
owners which in this case, include top politicians and others. If an
attack is sanctioned, then modalities will be mapped out and a date will
be chosen for the attack. Most times, Fulani herdsmen in the military
and police are notified and everyone sends a representative. Neighboring
settlements send out representatives and arms cache are opened and arms
are distributed to the participants. The major participants are the 20
to 40 Fulani herdsmen who reside in the Garkis and Ama Hausas. These are
the Fulani warriors whose job is to kill.
During an attack, every Fulani person in
the area knows there will be an attack and all will contribute to make
sure it goes on successfully. Fulanis in the higher levels of the
military will ensure all commands under them stand down, and the top
Fulani police officers will do the same – (no wonder you never hear of
arrests, however heinous the attack and no matter, how many killed). The
road is then clear for the Fulani herdsmen to carry out their attacks.
- Solution
Many natives the team spoke to
suggested the following as solution: ban grazing, establish ranches for
the cattle in the north, let the cattle owners pay the southerners to
harvest grass and send to the north. With this, everyone would be
pleased with the outcome. This solution is expected to generate 1
million jobs in the South and about 500,000 jobs in the North. Also
Fulani herdsmen terror will be totally eliminated.
I am sure neither Afenifere nor those
non-Fulanis who reacted to my articles claiming they own cattle know
jack about these things. I went to this length to let those in authority
quickly find the right solutions so we do not have another civil war on
our hands in Nigeria.
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