Anxiety in Kogi as Women, Children of Herdsmen Move Into Villages

443
Spread the love

…Save us from Fulani occupation, Yoruba communities tell Gani Adams
…Tag Gov. Bello’s approval of herdsmen colony a time bomb
…Fulani in Kaba-Bunu didn’t come with govt permission — Fanwo

Since the return to civil rule in 1999 Kogi State has been one of the theatres of unusual socio-political spectacles in Nigeria.
From the first tenure of the late Prince Abubakar Audu when virtually every state monument was named after him, to the present times, the state remains a flashpoint.
Past occurrences in Kogi had controversially altered political configurations, defied logic and set contentious precedents.

Frankly, it has been a pattern that often leaves most sections of the multi-cultural state aggrieved. It also usually lengthens the socio-political fault lines that define the state’s DNA.
For the state, it has been a history of opportunism and violation of peoples’ rights, as leadership had hardly been a platform for developing and bonding of its diverse people. Till date, some believe that public service remains an avenue to score personal political points. Successively, its political leaders ended up dividing the state with unpopular policies.
Today, the decision of the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to provide land for the proposed Cattle Colony by the Federal Government, is generating an uneasy calm among the populace.
Bello believes his decision is in the interest of the people. And he considers it a measure that will quickly curb the incessant bloody clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
In every practical sense, the governor seems to mean well. Bello’s vision in that regard was better explained by his Chief Press Secretary, Petra Onyegbule in a statement indicating Kogi’s readiness to be the pilot state for the project.
Ownership of communal land
She explained the rationale behind what has become a contentious policy thus: “The governor wishes to allay the fears of the indigenes of Kogi State, especially on ownership of communal land, that the policy is never an indirect attempt by the Federal Government to take and handover ancestral land to herdsmen.
“To ensure that everyone is carried along in this process, Kogi State, through the Ministry of Agriculture, will soon be embarking on a series of stakeholders’ engagement to sensitise the people, farmers, cattle breeders and other stakeholders on the implementation of the new policy.
“The traditional rulers, leaders of various communities, opinion leaders, religious leaders and the entire citizens will all be carried along in the course of the stakeholder’s engagement so that we can collectively study the merits and demerits of the policy.
“This will enable us to jointly find solutions to the demerit and at the same time improve on the merits to make it work for our state and for our people without any form of grievances.”
Anger, tension, and fear among major ethnic
While the governor had further defended and promoted the move at different fora, Saturday Vanguard observed that the development has so far triggered anger, tension, and fear among the major ethnic groups in the state.
It was gathered that fear is more palpable among the Igala and Yoruba. The Yoruba in Kogi West Senatorial District and Igala in Kogi East Senatorial District are the most audible voices in their rejection of the proposed colony.
Instructively, the tone and thrust of their messages share striking similarities, as they vehemently rejected the proposed colony should the state government site it in their respective areas.
Consider this: The Yoruba under the auspices of the Okun Development Association, ODA, said the idea of establishing cattle colonies is repugnant to equity, fairness and natural justice. The ODA said experience in the past had shown that most of the herdsmen in Okunland had at will attacked their hosts.
It further said any proposal to appropriate their land for the promotion of the private business interests of Fulani herdsmen would deny them their right to their ancestral land and would be a time bomb.
Colony is distasteful, dangerous
In summary, ODA said cattle colony is distasteful, dangerous and that the controversy over the issue can snowball into a major national disaster.
Similarly, the Igala in a petition signed by the President of the Igala Project, Mr. Atayi Babs, and the Secretary-General, Mallam Musa Haruna opposed the move.
Like the Yoruba, the Igala said siting cattle colony in their land would lead to the breakdown of law and order with killings and wanton destruction of property.
A statement in that regard said: “Mr. President, our opposition to this move and the hasty approval given by the state governor is further reinforced by the inescapable fact that under your presidency, murderous Fulani herdsmen have enjoyed subtle protection and favouritism to the extent that these herdsmen, who now treat Nigeria as a conquered territory, will eventually go beyond the purview of the so-called colony to destroy farmlands, maim and kill under the slightest provocation.
“In view of the above and many more, we the undersigned concerned people of Kogi-East, Kogi State, North-Central, Nigeria, state as follows: We do not want cattle colony or grazing reserve in our land. We reject any attempt to convert or transfer the ownership of ancestral lands in Igala to cattle colony master or owners who operate by killing people, destroying communities and farmlands while enjoying government protection from counter-attack, arrest or prosecution. We reject attempts to turn Igala land into the next killing field of marauding Fulani herdsmen.”
While the governor’s tribe, Ebira has not come out like the Yoruba and Igala, Saturday Vanguard learnt that people of that ethnic group have kicked against the move in individual and group capacities.
Relocation to Yoruba communities
Amid this growing anxiety across the state, checks by Saturday Vanguard revealed that Fulani herdsmen have commenced relocation to the state a few weeks ago.
The development which perhaps is in line with Bello’s invitation to the Fulani who may be facing difficulties elsewhere to relocate to the state was learnt to have taken place on January 21, 2018. Saturday Vanguard was told that another batch of herdsmen arrived on January 24, 2017 with women and children. They were said to have arrived at the location said to between Iluke Bunu and Ofere Bunu in the same Local Government Area. Numbering over one hundred, they were said to have comprised mostly of women, and children, who arrived Bunu in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area with household items, herders’ sticks and livestock among others.
It was further learnt that upon interrogation by the natives, the herdsmen said they were asked to relocate to the town by a District Head in Bwari, a suburb in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
To justify their claim, the headers presented a copy of the letter of authority, which indeed confirmed that they were asked to relocate to that community.
An electronic copy of the letter sighted by Saturday Vanguard which was written in the Hausa language showed that it originated from a District Head in Bwari and equally bore the stamp of his office.
Letter of authority
It contained directives to the herdsmen and their families to move to the “town of Kabba in Kogi State.”
Irked by the situation, the natives of Bunu and others from other parts of Yoruba speaking areas of the state have been lamenting over what they described as an attempt to make their future generations become slaves in their land.
Bunu Peoples Forum in a piece by Mr. King-Alfred Maseko narrated the development thus: “On the night of January 21, 2018, at about midnight, we got a report that a trailer load of Fulani invaded our district. They were sighted along the road close to Iluke at the heart of Bunu District. Bunu is a district in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State. Amongst her endowments is a large and fertile landmass, peace-loving people and a serene environment. Despite the underdevelopment and apparent marginalization, especially in infrastructural facilities agriculture is the foremost occupation.
Trailer-load of Fulani herdsmen
“The innocent farmers, traditional leaders and even, the vigilantes in the village had no prior information or knowledge of this strange migrants’ movement into the town. They are in excess of a hundred, mostly women and children. They came with their food, beddings, herdsmen’s sticks, and other household items. They said they have a letter of authority. The letter written in Hausa language was sighted and was instructive on their relocation to our land for settlement from a certain Seriki in Bwari, Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC. Their male adults were said to be on their way. Another report said they claimed to be going to another village within our district on the invitation of another Seriki, but the said seriki replied inquiry that he is not aware of their coming.
No to cattle colony in Okun land
“This worrisome incident happened, after the governor of Kogi State offered Kogi State to be the pilot state for the implementation of Cattle Colony and after various groups in Kogi including Okun Development Association, Bunu Peoples’ Forum and Bunu Interest Group came out openly to say no to cattle colony on Okun land.
“The Nigeria constitution does not give freedom to a group of people to settle anywhere they like without consultation with the host community and modalities agreed upon. We consider this invasion of Fulani on our land a great security threat to our existence, especially farming, fishing, hunting, and timbering among others at this crucial moment in which the Federal Government of Nigeria confirmed to have identified some terrorists in Kogi, Benue and Edo states respectively.
“We, therefore, call on all meaningful Nigerians within and in the diaspora, lovers of Bunu people, alongside international human rights and security bodies to come to our aid.
Indigenization of Fulani in Yoruba speaking-communities
“Bunu District is made up of 44 villages without a single functioning police station and Army barracks. Only two villages have epileptic power supply, while our road networks are bad. If the government cannot help us, they should not compound our problems as we are law abiding citizens and don’t deserve tension and hostile decisions.”
Speaking to Saturday Vanguard on the subject, Chairman of Okun Progressive Forum, OPF, Chief Solomon Ekundayo said what seemed like the indigenization of the Fulani in Yoruba speaking communities is an invitation to trouble.
Consequently, he appealed to the governor to listen to the cries of the Okun/Yoruba and reconsider his decision.
“What we are witnessing is tragedy in the making. We have lived happily for years in this land of our ancestors but we have come to a point where the worst may happen to our land. There are Fulani, who peacefully graze here the way it was done in other communities in the past, but making them indigenes of our communities is an invitation to trouble,’’ he stated.
Buttressing his opinion with past instances, a saddened Ekundayo said: “Look at what is happening in Benue and other parts of Nigeria where the Fulani herdsmen kill aborigines. Who will see that and still invite the Fulani to come and settle here? Governor Bello is not being fair to this state. We don’t know why he is always quick to please the people in Abuja. That young man has set the stage for future violent clashes in our communities.
Bello is not being fair to this state.
“I am happy that he is a young man and would live to see the dangers he has brought to our land. We are also appealing to our Yoruba kit and kin in the South West to come to our aid at a time like this because our place is an extension of Yoruba land. The Aare Onakankanfo of Yorubaland should not look the other way while the Fulani take over our heritage. Our ancestors fought and protected the Yoruba land against Nupe invaders during the inter-tribal wars of centuries past. It will not augur well if we are left to our fate. It is sad that Okun appointees in government are silent over the danger the situation portends for our land. So long as power remains transient, they will reap the fruits of this policy someday ”
Additional checks by Saturday Vanguard confirmed that these positions, however, captured the mood of the Yoruba speaking communities.
The fears boil down to the notion that the situation would eventually trigger indigene/settler violent clashes as witnessed in places like Zango Kataf, Benue and Jos North Local Government Area among others.
Fulani in Kabba-Bunu didn’t come with govt permission
Dismissing fears that the programme would usher in an era of violent clashes in the state, Director General on Media and Publicity in the state, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo told Saturday Vanguard that the Fulani who migrated recently to Kabba-Bunu did not come with the state government’s permission.
Consequently, he said that security agencies are on top of the situation.
He said: “Even before the cattle colony was mooted, the Kogi State government has embraced inclusiveness as a way of giving the Fulani a sense of belonging. Violence is always a product of insecurity in the first place. The Fulani have been living with us for decades. We are not saying that there are no criminals among them. Of course, every society has criminals. The best way to get the criminals among them is to use their leaders to expose them. The state government has always maintained robust communication with the leaders of the Fulanis in the state.
“Those who came to Kabba Bunu didn’t come with the permission of the state government. The letter they purportedly presented didn’t emanate from the state government nor the Federal Government. Security agencies are on top of the situation.
“We do not need to create a situation of fear and tension in the State. We can give useful information to security agencies and avoid falsehood that could set the state on fire. A Kogite has every right to live anywhere in Nigeria. Other Nigerians also have the right to live in Kogi State. What is paramount is peace and development. We should avoid hate speeches and panic creation.
“In Kogi, we have over 10 non-indigenes holding sensitive government positions. Kogi is a microcosm of the larger Nigeria. Let us preach unity and peace.
“A lot of misconceptions have been unfortunately injected into the whole idea to scandalize the government. Kogi State government will never mortgage the interest of the people. It is unfortunate that politicians are using the cattle colony issue as a political tool to rally the people against a great idea of government.’’

Credit: Vanguard

Letter authorizing Fulani herdsmen to relocate to Kabba-Bunu, Kogi state


Spread the love



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *