By Ifeanyi Izeze
How can we live peaceably together as a people by continuously telling
ourselves lies? Abi, it has now become our lifestyle in this country to
always rationalize obvious aberrations. For how long can we as a people afford
to continue like this?
The
increasing sophistication and clinical coordination of the group of mindless
attackers we call "Fulani herdsmen" or "cattle rearers"
that have meted chained terror to our people in different parts of the country
is mind-boggling and embarrassing. To think that what is happening in the
North-Central and now in virtually every other part of the country is a mere
conflict for grazing rights would only amount to naivety at best, because it is
now without a doubt that an evil wind is blowing and no section of the country
is spared.
The
question to ask is: why is it that these so-called “Fulani herdsmen” always
take our security operatives off-guard? They always finish their dastardly acts
before the arrival of our counter-terrorism security forces. Haba! And instead
of sitting together to marshal out a coordinated approach to address this
challenge, managers of our security apparatuses give us the impression that
some of them may be privy to these conspiracies against our people.
How do you
explain the recent incident in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State,
where Fulani herdsmen, backed by mercenary fighters (as already confirmed),
invaded several communities, killing more than 500 natives because they were
cautioned to stop taking their cows into people’s farms?
Surprisingly,
since the revelation that what we have been calling our cattle rearers were
actually well-trained mercenaries in the act of causing mayhem, the government
has not instituted any serious mechanism to unravel the real identity of these
contract fighters.
