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The alarming security upheavals, such as kidnapping, armed robbery, bombing/attacks, agitations and ethnic violence, currently rampaging in Nigeria has posed a pertinent questions to the country’s ethnographic sphere.
More dastardly, in a horrific and disturbing round of violence, which raged till the new year day. And still raging in Benue state, no fewer than 80 people had been killed by the supposed herders but terrorist in essence from fulani clans.
If reports by the chief press secretary to the governor, Mr Samuel Ortom is anything to go by, the attackers left a gory figure of mutilated and decomposing bodies, littering burnt, as well as vandalised communities in Guma and Logo ugba Local government areas of the state.
Honestly, its an hard nut to crack, reconciling oneself with thoughts that one will never see again in the flesh, your loved ones whom you merried with and parted few hours ago. But this is untainted reality Nigerians wine and dine with constantly, as their father, mother, uncle, brother and closed acquaintances are been killed in volume at night by fulani herders. Depicting their disgusting acts on the precarious rights to practice their profession anywhere in the country.
They are everywhere in the middle belt, and even south. Operating ridiculously and leaving the people in misery, fears, destruction and emotionally devastated.
To be candid, this herders will not hesitate to make caricature on any attempt by the government to ban open grazing. perhaps, enforce a ranching system for cattle rears. According to Miyetti Allah, farming system in Nigeria is too primitive compared to the current pastoral system, hence, it will be insensitive of the government to disallow open grazing. Perhaps, confine its cattles to a place in the name of ranching or cattle colony, buttressing that Nigeria’s climatic conditions is ineffective for such practices.
Considering the security stance, government’s levity in tackling insecurity is the greatest factor posing threat on the peace and unity of this country.
They are hypocritical in bringing perpetrators and their culprits to justice. Despite Global Terrorism Index GTI considering fulani herders raid as the fourth most deadly terror group in the world after Boko Haram, ISIS and Al-shabaab. Its very much uncommon of instances, where a Fulani herdsman is been compelled into facing the full wrath of the law over an atrocious act. And regardless of their notor and humongous tendencies to inflict pains and anxiety on the harmless Nigerian any where any time, the anti peace group is been handled lightly, giving insinuations that they are special indigenes who outlaws by dint of niche and environment.
Aside the usual condemnations and occasional reprimand from different quarters of governance, government has politicked the bid to give the vulnerables the right asylum they truly deserve. And Guess who the vulnerables of the incessant killings in Benue state are, they are women, children and over aged adults, who are either shot or matched, perhaps beaten to death by the assailants who constantly invade and unleash mayhem overnight.
Come to think of it, its appalling that in a country where possession of unlicensed gun is a serious crime, some group of people still plies the high brow areas with gun, yet, unhindered.
More baffling, the justifications from different quarters of governance is capable of sterring anger for vegeance. The inspector general of police who went about asking for more time to fish out the culprits had earlier described Benue killings as communal clash. And if I may ask, what can an intelligent officer of his status possibly offer to remedy the hovering cloud when obviously he has a different notion of the matters in question?
Worst still, the president never took out of his busy schedules to visit the helpless people in the North Central, perhaps, to sympatise with them on the horrendous black Thursday while been evacuated to the street wailing over the departed souls. Rather, the poor masses, out of perplexity, have chosen the alternative of leveraging on a seemed never-forth coming media enchantments like; perpetrators of Benue killings will be punished. “Mr president is conscious of his duty because he is accountable for everything that goes wrong, plus “He deeply sympatise with the bereaved families and all other direct and indirect victims of the violence. He is determined to bring it to a permanent end.
For crying out loud, this is unalarcrity. As a matter of dispensation, its quite unalloyed of the government, working synergistically for a common goal. Perhaps, an alamode of propellant instigated for a propitiatory outcomes in 2019.
More shockingly was the statement credited to the minister of Agriculture and rural development, chief Audu Ogbe who attributed the brutal murder of his brothers to government’s lax attitudes in providing the needed infrastructures for pastoral farming. According to him, government has not done enough to subsidise pastoral farming to the UK standard.
Well, if he (Audu) failed to understand that Miyetti Allah and his cohorts are sabotaging the national food sufficiency, baba should have been briefed of the acme of naivety this portrays, especially when his people desperately need a saviour from the mayhem they have learned to accept.
Quite disarray, the state governor, Mr Samuel Ortom repugnantly threw in his fair share of the shallow rooted notions. And according to him, perpetrators of Benue killings are well known. As a governor, Ortom is the chief security officer of the state, but why has he not been patriotic enough to point out the killers and stripe them for wrath of justice Instead of the needless tour he had chosen of Aso rock. Or is the governor battling with pneumonia ailment?
More recently, the minister of defense, also joined the train. In his interview with punch newspaper, Mansur Dan Ali noted that the recent killing in Taraba and Benue state was as a result of the stoppage of cattle routes across the country, as well as, implementation of anti open grazing law in some states. The Department of state services (DSS) also identified an Islamic state in west Africa network ( ISWA), operating within the north Central and south -south geopolitical zone as the brain behind the incessant attacks.
These, among others are the miscreant, ungodly, unpatriotic, unguided and sarcastic justifications from propagandist aimed to pilot self ambition. without an iota of doubt, the mal-nurtured information has propagated retardation on the right policy which should be unanimously formulated in order to salvage the country from total ruin. It also posed an aberrations on the attitude of concession to further co existent among ethnic groups in Nigeria.
Against the craving needs of the government to make hay while the sun still shines, to do a lilliputian of what it seems doing to tackle Boko Haram in the North east as well as agitations in the Niger Delta, legions of draconian information jetting to the table of Mr president, is capable of landing one into a dilematic circumstances in comprehending the right unit of competence to do the needful.
In my widest imaginations, fulani herders’ are becoming unstoppable, as states like Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun, Kogi and plateau state are becoming more vulnerable to the their carnage activities. Yet, the government is hypocritical, sycophantic and misguided. Thus, politicking the entire process of salvaging the country from the menace that looms.
As usual, it made headlines in virtually all the national dailies, but gradually and shenaniganly, the news of man’s inhumanity to man ransacking every nooks and crannies of this nation is becoming a dieter. And die-hardly, the terrorists are re- enforcing. About a week ago, an arms laden helicopter fully loaded with arms, suspectedly owned by the Fulani Jihadist landed in Jibu. A village located along river Benue, somewhere closed to Ibi local government area of Taraba state, with the aftermath whereabouts still unknown.
Evidently, there is hardly a day that news will not make round of fulani’s atrocious activities in Nigeria. Yet the government is sluggishly approaching the whole saga. Perhaps turning a deaf ears to the plight of the masses.
I wonder how many more blood Miyetti Allah and its cohorts in high places needed to shed to succumb to pains and agony, misery and despairs the masses are subjected to. And I need just one cogent reason why the people may not consider self defense soon, seeing corpses of their beloved ones litter the street on daily basis. And with the government which seems to be doing nothing about it.
Corruption
Without mincing words, the present government invested, if not all, most of its energies in fighting corruption. But as a matter of reality, corruption has fought back and waxing stronger and kicking.
What we have had so far was a media enchantments where arrest is been carried out before investigations. Without apology I want to say that non of those indicted of corruption had been severely punished for crime committed. As a matter of fact, the public officials who have looted in the past have now considered defection to the ruling party as the umbrella shielding them from the scorching sun of criminality.
More shockingly, our most anointed saint of a president signed a bill suggesting special immunity for both federal and state lawmakers against litigations into law. To me, this has compounded the notion “corruption is waxing stronger and kicking”. Because the bill is simply and impediment on the principle of check and balance, as it immunises corruption and its bystanders against the force of nemesis.
Every lawmaker indicted of one crime or the other is free of trial for the next four years. To this extend It will do justice if anyone can confidently outline one crucial reason, as to why those corrupt officials will not build a very high wall for self defence before their tenure elapsed.
As a nation, vying to reduce corruption to a drastic end, special immunity for top government officials remain a back log on our struggles. Evidently, in 1999, federal government sued the late General Sani Abacha’s family over his loots. Lo and behold, where, the federal government has just one lawyer representing them in court, Abacha’s family hired the services of 12 international lawyer – Big wall for defence.
Unemployment
Unemployment is a no go area, as thousands of youth flucks the street with worn out file permanently stucked to their hand.
The cost of living is all time high. Nigerians are wallowing endlessly in the virtuous cycle of poverty.
Without much emphasis, the time to restructure is now. Infact, restructuring is a sin qua non. Else I forsee civil war imminent. This is not a prophesy but a critical perceptions from events and happenings.
Like the say, no nation survives civil war twice.
Restructuring is the way.
– John Paul writes from Lagos.
p_john97@yahoo.com
07064258752.
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