Disturbed by the lethal attacks in their states, two governors have taken significant steps to halt the threat to the security of lives and property of their people by Fulani herdsmen. In this class are Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Ayodele Fayose. Ugwuanyi has formed a Neighbourhood Watch (vigilance group) in Enugu State, even as Fayose has banned cattle grazing in Ekiti State and mobilised local hunters to face down the obdurate Fulani herdsmen. These initiatives are not out of place, nor are they about playing to the gallery. They are timely, considering the calamity being masterminded by cattle herders.
The first law of nature is self-preservation, and it is no more appropriate as a dictum in this divisive matter. With the Federal Government dangerously silent about the nuisance, the two governors – whose states are among those that have recently been badly hit by the marauders – have taken a courageous action that can stem it. Other governors, whose people are being pummelled by the murderous herdsmen, should not shy away from their sworn oath to protect their people, but take a cue from the duo.
Any state that underrates the capacity of Fulani herdsmen to commit heinous crimes is toying with the fate of its people. Apart from destroying the crops of farmers of their host communities, Fulani herdsmen are notorious for raping, maiming and killing with impunity. Fayose banned grazing in Ekiti in May shortly after herdsmen invaded Oke-Ako, Ikole Local Government Area, in the night and murdered two people. One of the casualties, Olomi Ibiteye, had his stomach ripped open by bullets. A survivor, Seke Shittu, said, “I’m happy I didn’t die from the attack. They wanted to attack my children and others with me. It was while covering them that I received machete cuts.”
The Ekiti attacks resembled the atrocities in Nimbo, Enugu State, where 46 residents were killed in a pre-dawn raid in May. Although the people had notified the police of the impending Fulani attacks in Nimbo, the police declined to act on the intelligence. As a result, the herdsmen escaped after the killings and burning of a Catholic Church parish, 10 houses and vehicles.
Those affected included Sunday Ajogwu, whose left hand was severed and another man who had his throat slit. In other acts of violence in Nimbo, a young man was burnt to death while sleeping in a commuter bus; a man’s stomach was ripped open with his intestines spilling out and an 85-year old man’s corpse was recovered from the rubble. A survivor, Kingsley Ezugwu, said: “They pursued us, killed my friend and shot at me several times but missed. They caught up with me and used machetes on me until I lost consciousness.” On seeing Nimbo ravaged, Ugwuanyi burst into tears. Who wouldn’t?
In the most deadly attack this year, herdsmen sacked farming communities in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State in February, and massacred an estimated 400 villagers. Because of the negligence of the Federal Government, the herdsmen have returned to Agatu several times since the February atrocities. On May 15, another attack claimed the lives of 12 people. Yet, the attackers are still walking free.
In 2013, the itinerant herdsmen, who migrate from the North to the Middle Belt and the South, killed 80 people. But because of the national policy of appeasement, the number climbed to 1,229 in 2014, according to Australia-based think-tank, Global Terrorism Index. The GTI says Fulani herdsmen are the fourth deadliest terror group in the world. Over the past decade, the unusually heavily-armed herdsmen have wreaked havoc on Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Delta, Abia, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Nasarawa and Akwa Ibom states. With the outlook so grim, governors can no longer rely on the Federal Government for security in their states.
Therefore, Fayose and Ugwuanyi are justified in their plans to curtail the criminal activities of the herdsmen that have gone beyond just cattle rearing. Their mission to kill at will is pure terrorism. And, Fulani herdsmen have no right to destroy the investment of farming communities in the name of grazing their cattle. So, governors, being the chief security officers of their states, should stop playing cheap politics with human lives but use every legal means possible to protect their people.
The claim by the umbrella body of the herdsmen that they have a right to graze their cattle anywhere in the country is an insult to the sensibilities of farming communities. It is also insensitive and wicked. There is no right that is absolute, as the freedom of movement is curtailed by the law of trespass. Unregulated grazing is not only primitive, it is also illegal. There is no faulting Fayose’s argument that cattle owners are businessmen, and they should buy land for ranches instead of the primitive practice of open herding.
