By Chijioke Egbo
Tension is building up across Nigeria . At the forefront of the
heightening tension are two groups: the Fulani herdsmen and the Biafran
agitators. Boko Haram which seriously threatened the territorial integrity of Nigeria is now
at the mercy of the country’s military might. They are feeling the heat now;
they are boasting less these days. Their defeat is as good as done.
We must commend our gallant soldiers and the government for their
sacrifice which is giving us this victory. However, Fulani herdsmen appear to
be determined to continue from where Boko Haram is stopping. In fact, they have
started even before we finish with BH. And in their own case, they are
spreading their violence across the entire country. The herdsmen are about the
biggest headache Nigeria
has now. They are spreading hate and attracting same to themselves. Almost
every ethnic group in the North Central zone of the country who are the Fulani
traditional neighbours, have had or are still having serious issues with them.
The climax is the recent Agatu crisis which some dub massacre, while others
say it is a case of genocide.
Over 500 Idoma people of Benue
State were said to have
been killed in their own village by the invading herdsmen. The Yorubas in the
Southwest are clashing with the herdsmen. Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the
Government of the Federation may eventually abandon his farm, having suffered
many attacks in the hands of the herdsmen. The Chief was once kidnapped by
these men and only got back his freedom after paying ransom to them. Some Odua
People’s Congress (OPC) men employed by Falae to guard his farm have reportedly
lost their lives in the hands of the herdsmen. If Falae is not spared by the
men, then tell me who is safe!
In the Southeastern Nigeria , the
story is not different. Farmers daily complain of destruction of their farms,
raping of women in their farms and even killing of farmers who dare protest
the activities of these men. The herdsmen, who are accused of grazing their
cattle in the farms of their host communities which is said to be the real
genesis of all the crises, don’t seem to see anything wrong with that. There
are reports that the herdsmen move about openly with sophisticated weapons
such as AK47 assault guns. Why the Fulani herdsmen have decided to take on Nigeria beats
my imagination. I see collaboration between them and the Biafra
separatist agitators. Those of us in the Southeast who see the Biafra project as unattractive are now being mocked as
unrealistic because of the activities of the herdsmen. The “Biafrans” point at
that as a clear sign that Nigeria
can never be one. Those sitting on the fence easily fall for such argument.
And so, the message of Biafra is spreading.
Okada riders and other not-well-informed people, who are not few in number, are
daily being recruited into the “Biafran struggle.” They are brainwashed into
believing that the name “Biafra ” is a magic
wand that will turn around their lives. The present economic depression in the
country is not helping matters. The agitators easily blame the woes on the
Federal Government. And because their propaganda is not being effectively
matched by the government, the gullible downtrodden fall for them.
Unfortunately, the recent statement by the Department for State
Security (DSS), accusing IPOB of killing some 50 Fulani herdsmen and burying
them in a mass grave was a serious infraction on peace and security. The
statement was totally at variance with professional conduct on the part of
DSS. The department which is supposed to be discreet in its operations went
public with such sensitive statement. Whether or not the statement is true is
not the issue here. The issue is the implication of such statement on national
peace and security which is the primary duty of the department. Why it chose to
aggravate the already high tension in the land is confusing well-meaning
citizens. It is more confusing because the DSS has not been quick at making
such statements all the while that there have been reports of the menace of the
herdsmen across the land. The department has never really been known to take
interest in the growing threat to peace and corporate existence of the country
by the herdsmen. Why it suddenly woke up from its slumber and quick to go
public with a statement even before concluding investigation calls for
concern.
The authorities need to look into the matter to ensure that professional
conduct is not compromised in such sensitive organization as the DSS. If this
is not done, the real threat to national security may come from unexpected quarters.
Our security services must be insulated from petty political and ethnic
sentiments if we take our peace and security seriously. Nigeria must
learn from its history. We have travelled this road in the 1960s when the
military was polarized along ethnic and political lines. That was one singular
mishap that resulted in the collapse of the First Republic
and the pogrom and subsequent Civil War that followed. President Muhammadu
Buhari cannot afford to fail in his duty as a father figure. It is well known
to keen watchers of Nigeria
that tinkering with the PDP zoning policy heightened ethnic sentiments in our
politics during the last dispensation. President Muhammadu Buhari must see it
as his responsibility to bring the Nigerian family together again.
Government must step up public enlightenment campaigns to reach out
to the Fulani herdsmen and also counter the propaganda of the Biafran
separatists. The public needs to be carried along in the laudable effort at
diversifying and restructuring the economy. Information Minister, Lai Mohammed,
seems to have become complacent. Or does it mean he is completely worn out
after the electioneering campaigns? This certainly, is not the Lai Mohammed we
know. Mohammed should be told that the ordinary man in the street does not
understand the economic situation and why. He does not also understand the
economic policy direction of this government. We believe it is important to
carry everyone along so that the government will get the necessary cooperation
required to attain the desired result. The propaganda war should be carried to
the doorstep of those who are bent on taking us back to 1966. Lai Mohammed,
wake up, we know what you can do.
*Egbo wrote from Lagos
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