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Since the beginning of this year, Nigerians have not stopped grieving the loss of their loved ones killed by herdsmen. These killings have been taking place daily, in some states across the country.
States that are mostly under the radar of the killer herdsmen are Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna and Taraba and Kogi. Zamfara State, though in the far north, is also suffering the same fate, as many of its inhabitants are Hausas.
It all started on the 1st January, 2018 with Benue State being their first target. January 1 this year was described by Benue people as “Black Monday” as 73 innocent citizens of the state were brutally killed by suspected herdsmen. Although they were later not described as suspects, since the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore in the state came out publicly to claim that they sponsored the killings. The organisation had earlier issued threats at several fora, that they would attack and dislodge Benue people. They described the killing as a “revenge” for the 1, 000 herds of cattle allegedly rustled by Benue youths.
As an agenda allegedly planned by the killer herdsmen to attack, kill and occupy the middle belt, they on the 26th June, 2018 again launched a deadlier attack on the people of Plateau State, where hundreds of people were killed and houses, as well as properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
Reacting to the killing of over 200 people in Barkin Ladi , Riyom and Jos South Local Government Areas, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has ordered the redeployment of the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Undie Adie, with immediate effect.
Adie was replaced by Yobe State-born Bala Ciroma, who was until his new position the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.
A terse statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson of Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, neither gave reasons for the removal nor explained his new posting.
Responding after the killing, the Chairman of the North Central zone of MACBAN, Danladi Ciroma, who signed a press statement, said herdsmen in the state had lost about 300 cows in the weeks leading to the attack.
Ciroma accused the communities of hiding cattle rustlers among them as well as frustrating peace efforts of the state government.
He said: “These attacks are retaliatory. As much as I don’t support the killing of human beings, the truth must be told that those who carried out the attacks must be on revenge mission.
“There have been recent reports of cow rustling and destruction of farms between Berom farmers and Fulani herdsmen. The people carrying out these criminal activities are well known to the communities but the communities are hiding them.
“Fulani herdsmen have lost about 300 cows in the last few weeks – 94 cows were rustled by armed Berom youths in Fan village, another 36 cows were killed by Berom youths. In addition to that, 174 cattle were rustled and the criminals disappeared with them to Mangu.
“Since these cows were not found, no one should expect peace in the areas. Even soldiers that went after the criminals to recover the rustled cows were shot by the armed rustlers who eventually escaped with all the cows.
“The government of Governor Lalong has done a lot to restore peace, but the criminal elements hiding among their people are the ones frustrating these peace efforts.”
Ciroma added that security agencies should be fair to all parties, and not neglect any report presented by herdsmen, saying “because such report can lead to attacks and deaths if not properly handled.”
He said: “Criminals thrive a lot in Berom communities, but when the herdsmen, who are always victims of their crime, react with attacks, they blame the government.”
Hundreds have been killed this year alone in attacks by suspected herdsmen and there have been clashes between the herders and farmers, with President Muhammadu Buhari vowing to bring the killers to book.
The leaders of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore of Plateau State in a press statement purportedly signed by Badu Salisu Ahmadu, National President said: “Our attention has been drawn to the series of campaigns being waged against the Fulani community, following the killings in Plateau, where some civilians who have been tormenting the Fulani nation were justifiably hacked down.
“Why is it convenient for Nigerians to condemn the killings of Berom but fail to condemn the killings of Fulani people?
We frown at the conscious attempts to demonise the Fulani nation by the media and their collaborators; We wish to make the following categorical statements on the Plateau incidence:
“The killings in Barkin Ladi were motivated by previous killings of Fulani men and women by Berom youths in collaboration with certain minority ethnic groups in Plateau…”
Following their response to the Plateau massacre, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom commiserated with Governor Simon Lalong and the entire people of Plateau State over renewed attacks. He condemned the attacks and described the killing of children, women and other vulnerable people in Barkin Ladi as barbaric, inhuman and unfortunate.
He urged security agencies to arrest for prosecution, the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association who have allegedly claimed responsibility over the Plateau killings.
Abubakar Tsav, a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, has revealed the cause of the current insecurity in the country under the guise of herdsmen killings.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption provoked some politicians who sponsored the killer-herdsmen in a bid to mar his re-election in 2019.
Tsav told BDSUNDAY: “We have a lot of people, who are involved in corruption in this country; people who have stolen too much from the country’s treasury.
“And since Buhari came in; the stealing has stopped and people who are not benefitting from the corrupt system are now afraid and they are fighting Buhari’s government through the killings by herdsmen. That is why they don’t want him to re-contest.
“People who have been living on corruption have now found out that they can no longer live on corruption again because Buhari himself is not corrupt. He is a straightforward and honest person. So, that is why they want to remove him by all means, so that we can go back to square one. They have no conscience.
“Even all over the world, other world leaders are commending Buhari for being an honest man and trying to check corruption. Within the short time he has been in power, he has discovered that a lot of money was stolen from our treasury. World leaders are happy with him, but in this country, they want him to be removed, so that they can continue to loot the treasury. They don’t love this country; they want corruption to come back, otherwise why are they saying the man should not re-contest.
“A lot of people have been involved in corruption, but since Buhari came in, there has not been room for people to carry out corrupt activities. So, they want Buhari to go, so that they will continue their corrupt acts.”
On what should be done to stem the tide of insecurity in the country ahead of the 2019 elections, he said: “If the security agencies take the right steps right now, the elections will be very peaceful. The most important thing is to try and disarm this people. We should also address the issue of corruption because what has brought all these problems to us is corruption.”
On the contrary, Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, on Twitter criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for not arresting the Chairman, North Central zone of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Danladi Ciroma, after his claim that the killing of the 200 persons was in retaliation to the death of over 300 cows in the last few weeks by the affected villagers.
He described the killing as terrorism, saying, the killings by herdsmen is not Farmers/Herdsmen clash. It is not a case of two fighting. Rather, it is terrorism. Deal with perpetrators as terrorists and you will see these senseless killings coming to an end.”
One question Nigerians should be asking President Buhari is; has anyone been arrested for the killing of over 200 people in Plateau? Two hundred people killed in one day by people said to be retaliating loss of cows is a national disaster that should attract decisive actions not speeches.
”In saner climes, Presidents don’t go to sleep when over 200 of their citizens, including children are murdered; they take decisive action to bring perpetrators to book and prevent reoccurrence. But here in Nigeria, our president sees killing of over 200 people as two fighting.”
Also, Pastor Paul Enenche described the killing as jihadist activities and urged all lovers of freedom in Nigeria to rise and act. In the course of the Healing and Deliverance Service on Wednesday in Dunamis International Gospel Centre Headquarters Abuja, Paul Enenche addressed the recent killings in Plateau State Nigeria.
“Everybody who is a lover of freedom in Nigeria, rise and speak. Rise and act. Where an agent of the devil can sit on a judgment seat and sentence five people to death for killing a terrorist in Self Defence on their father’s land. I want to know how many people have been arrested so far for killing the two Reverend Fathers and the Parishioners. How many people have been arrested so far for killing the people (all over the Plateau region)?
“If you hate what is happening, speak out. We are waiting to hear the voices of Human Rights Activists. In previous administrations, at the tiniest thing, they will all rise (and gather) at The Eagles’ Square. Where are you now? Everybody has been intimidated into silence; some charmed into irrelevance. Blood is flowing like water. People are dying like flies and everybody is mute…
“Somebody came and said that they are responsible for the killings in Plateau State and it is because the people stole 300 cows. So, they killed Human beings for cows; that is if it is true. And there is an Authority in the Land and the person who said it is alive and walking alive. That is demonic hypocrisy. But there is a God who rules in the affairs of men.”
Reacting to the killing, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo condemned the spate of killings in some parts of the country noting that the Plateau attack whether retaliatory or not is a condemnable act.
The attack by suspected herdsmen on some villages in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau state over the weekend has left scores dead with properties and houses destroyed.
Osinbajo during a visit to the state, on Monday said, the attack by suspected herdsmen on innocent villagers is a condemnable act which everyone must ensure it ends.
“It is the responsibility of everyone of us, especially leadership. The leadership of the communities to ensure that we are able to bring about a situation of lasting peace. We must ensure that we don’t allow a situation where anybody gets away with this sort of killings.
“In the particular case of this local government, we were told that herdsmen attacked the village. This is a condemnable act. There is no reason whatsoever for killing any Nigerian. Even according to the law, if a killing has taken place, you are not allowed to kill in return. If you do it, it is as criminal as the very first act itself. This is an act that is condemned,” Osinbajo said.
The Vice President also noted that it is the responsibility of residents and their leaders to protect their community from falling victim of religious violence. He urged the residents and their leader to, “seize the moment, to ensure that this is not allowed to continue.”
“We may have greater problems. We must not allow this to continue. We must not allow in this country, a religious crisis that becomes uncontrollable. If this sort of thing continues to happen, we will have the kind of crisis that we should not have,” Osinbajo said.
Also President Muhammadu Buhari has said that it is unjustifiable to blame him for the killing of Nigerians by suspected armed herdsmen in different parts of the country.
Buhari vowed to prosecute the perpetrators of killings in Plateau State, assuring that he would not relent in his responsibility to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian.
This is as Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau declared that over 200 people died in the attacks.
Lalong said the gory pictures of the killing of innocent citizens, women and children continue to “torment our hearts.”
The President spoke on Tuesday at an interactive session with stakeholders in Jos, the Plateau State capital, in the aftermath of the recent killings in some communities in the state.
Suspected herdsmen had laid a 48-hour siege to eight villages of Gashish and Ropp districts in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau.
The villages are Xland, Gindin Akwati, Ruku, Nghar, Kura Falls and Kakuruk all in Gashish District as well as Rakok, Kok and Razat villages all in Ropp District.
While commiserating with relatives of those who lost their loved ones, Buhari said the killings in Zamfara State was, however, more than the numbers recorded in Plateau and Benue states put together, stressing that Plateau killings should not be seen as a religious crisis.
Several measures has been taken by the Federal Government to end the incessant killings in the country, the Federal government eventually had its way when it made public its resolution to set up and fund cattle ranches across 10 states of the federation, in an apparent bid to assuage the thirst for destruction of the rampaging Fulani herdsmen. Unveiled at the National Economic Council’s National Livestock Transformation Plan, the government said that it was agreed with states as part of efforts to end the frequent attacks on farmers and other Nigerians by the negatively rambunctious herdsmen.
The government has now decided to set up 94 ranches to be funded with N70bn in the pilot phase of three years and then N179bn in a total period of 10 years. There will also be clusters of 30, 60, 150, and 300 cow ranch models in a location within the donated and gazetted grazing reserves. The designers of the programme say each ranch will be “an integrated business, which makes provision for (a) the development of commercial crop production to support livestock through the supply of quality fodder and other feed materials, (b) the formation of producers into clusters to create viable ranch herd sizes, and (c) creation of cooperatives to facilitate improved access to inputs, infrastructure, finance, markets, and support services.” Audu Ogbeh, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, concludes that there is no going back on the project. He said, “This conflict is not peculiar to Nigeria; it’s happening in Argentina; it happened in the U.S. in the 19th century, in Pakistan and others. So, this is what we should have started doing 20 years ago. We didn’t and that’s why we are where we are.”
He’s wrong. The 10-year National Livestock Plan is gratuitous, discriminatory and offensive. Linked with the controversial bill to establish a Regulatory Framework for the Water Resources Sector in Nigeria, the sinister motive of the initiators of the programme becomes obvious. As is often said, cattle farming is a private business, the responsibility for which should be that of the owners. Cattle farming in Australia, Canada and the United States is purely the affair of the state or provincial government. In the US, cattle rearing originated in Texas in 1820. In 1875, Texas (State) set aside three million acres in the Panhandle to raise funds for public projects. A Chicago syndicate purchased the property in 1882 for raising cattle, according to the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Private companies own the cattle business in Canada as well. Private businessmen equally operate the cattle business in Australia, with the S. Kidman & Co, owning 10 ranches, including the Anna Creek Station, reputed to be the largest in the world.
In Brazil, which is the second largest beef exporter in the world, the government aids the cattle trade by facilitating low-interest loans to farmers. Through this system, Brazil has grown to become a major player in the meat business. Brazil’s Foreign Trade Secretariat states that from an income of $1.9m in 1994, beef export income of Brazil jumped to $1.9bn in 2004, providing 360,000 direct jobs. Brazil’s cattle farmers own about 80 million cattle head in the Amazon region alone.
It has often been argued that ranching is the solution to the current scorched-earth policy of the Fulani herdsmen, but no one envisaged that the government would be the one to take up that responsibility of providing the facilities on behalf of the herders. Take, for instance, the case of people who run piggeries, will the government go to this length in funding and providing space for them in all parts of the country? The case of the Niger Delta people is a good example of how a people have been denied their means of livelihood and yet nothing is done to change their situation. These are people that depend largely on fishing for their subsistence. But this means of livelihood has been taken away by oil spills, which have poisoned and killed the aquatic life in that area. What effort is the government making to dredge inland rivers for them in Sokoto or Maiduguri, for instance, to regain their fishing business? What is so special about cattle farming that it should be turned into a national responsibility?
No doubt, Nigeria needs to improve its cattle business to the modern age. But it should be the responsibility of states where cattle rearing is the predominant occupation of the people that should provide the enabling environment while the cattle farmers pick the bill. As the Federal Government did with the Anchor Borrowers Programme for rice, it should facilitate such loans for cattle farmers. Such loans would be used to buy land in their states of choice. Besides, of the states to host the ranches –Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara – four do not have much to do with cattle rearing.
What has been apparent in the decision of the government is the fact that it has gone ahead with the plans of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association to march their cattle across any part of the country, whether the owners of such land like it or not. The government, through many of its agents, had insisted that there were grazing routes dating back to pre-independence period, which they imperiously insist must be respected. When the idea was resisted, it came up with the concept of grazing colony. Now, it is ranches on other people’s land. Whether it is called grazing route or grazing colony or ranches, what difference does it make? It is the same dogged resolve of the government-backed Fulani herdsmen to have their way playing out.
We insist that establishing ranches is purely a private enterprise. And the rule of common law requires cattle owners to fence in their animals. States that see its economic potential are free to decide to support and subsidise it with incentives. When this newspaper and other voices called for ranching, it was never suggested to be financed by the Federal Government. Just as state support has not meant government establishing rice farms, fish ponds, cotton farms, cocoa farms, cassava or soya beans farms or SMEs across the country, policies should be put in place to promote ranching, not compel states or enmesh the Federal Government directly in cattle farming.
The government has its rice policy but did not ask Kebbi and Lagos states to collaborate to produce the popular Lake rice brand: this was purely an economic decision by the two states. States that so desire and have advantage in livestock, may partner the private sector or collaborate as some are doing with rice. The ideal however is to create an enabling environment for local and foreign investors to move in, establish profitable ranches and help solve our food security crisis and eradicate the primitive practice of herding.
If the expectation is to see an end to the bloodletting currently sweeping across the land, it is doubtful that this is the right way to go about it. Many states in India have made laws prohibiting cattle damaging private and farmland, public roads, canals and embankments. Intentional herding or grazing of livestock on another person’s land without their consent is criminal and must end here, too.
The most pressing responsibility of the Buhari government is to disarm, apprehend and prosecute killer-herders, halt their rampage and protect their victims. State governors should join the principled resistance platform of Governor Samuel Ortom, who has declared bluntly that Benue State has no vacant land to provide for ranches.
