Going by the
number of deaths caused by Fulani herdsmen in the last 12 months, they appear
to have become deadlier than the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram. Findings
by
Saturday Sun show that between June 2016 and May 2017, the cattle rearers were
alleged to have sent about 1,102 people to their early graves from various
attacks in different states, especially, Kaduna, Benue, Delta, and other states
in the South and North Central. This is in sharp contrast to the figure
recorded by the Islamic sect that killed 474 within the same period from
various attacks in the Northeast, especially, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
In Southern
Kaduna alone, from statistics released by the leadership of the Catholic
Diocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna State, over 808 people were killed between July
and December 2016 from various attacks carried out by the herdsmen in 53
villages across four local government areas of Kaura, Sanga, Jama’a and Kauru.
On February
22, the alleged invasion of three villages in Kaura and one in Jema’a local
government areas in Southern Kaduna by herdsmen also led to the death of 28
persons, including two police personnel. Last July, Fulani herdsmen killed
about 81 people in Benue State from multiple attacks.
In Gbemacha
council ward of Gwer Local Government Area of Benue State, six people were
killed on March 2, to avenge the killing of one of their colleagues.
In the sane
vein, the herdsmen reportedly killed three youths of the area who tried to
resist them, but were countered by the armed herdsmen who besieged the
community in great numbers and sacked the locals from their homes.
Suspected
Fulani herders struck again allegedly killing eight more people in the night of
May 13. Communities affected include Mbavuur council ward of Logo Local
Government Area where six people were killed and Mbaya council ward of
neighbouring Buruku Local Government Area where two people were killed.
Two persons
lost their lives after suspected herdsmen struck in Afam Uku, Oyigbo Local
Government Area of Rivers State, on May 19.
On May 14,
gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen also stormed Etogi village in Niger
State and attacked the community mosque in Gbara ward of Mokwa local
government, killing 21.
The attack
was as a result of an earlier disagreement between some Fulani youths and
members of the affected community, which resulted in the death of a herder.
Suspected
Fulani herdsmen had on May 11, reportedly beheaded a commercial motorcyclist
identified as, Udoka Ossai and six farmers who were indigenes of Ossissa
community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Local
community sources said that the incident occurred at 6:30pm that Thursday when
the Okada rider went to drop a passenger at Ossissa Junction along the
Ughelli/Asaba expressway, while the farmers who worked with Ugo Farm were
ambushed on their way home.
The deceased
Okada rider who was said to be in his late 20s was returning after dropping the
passenger at the roadside when the herdsmen who had been having a running
battle with local community farmers in the area attacked him.
It was
gathered that the herdsmen after beheading the motorcyclist fled the area
before community youths arrived the scene.
In the same
vein, suspected Fulani herdsmen on January 8, reportedly hacked five farmers to
death in two separate attacks in Abraka and Obiaruku, both in Ethiope East and
Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State.
Also on
March 20, a herdsman killed his landlord and farmer, Musliu Aliu at Igbeti in
the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State. A woman was also stabbed in the stomach and had
been hospitalised, while about 19 houses were razed in the aftermath of the
incident.
In Cross
River State, suspected herdsmen on April 1, killed no fewer than 10 persons in Obio
Usiere in Eniong Abatim, Odukpani Local Government Area in a raid that forced
rural dwellers to run for dear lives.
The Edo
State Police Command recently arrested three Fulani herdsmen
for
allegedly killing former Etsako East Local Government Area Chairman, Hon.
Suleiman Afegbua.
In the first
week of May, the death toll in the killings by suspected herdsmen in Takum and
Ussa local government areas of Taraba state rose to 18. The killings, which
started at Tati village in Takum before spreading to Kwesati village in Ussa
had earlier claimed 13 lives bringing the total figure to 31.
The latest
of their lethal attacks drew the ire of the Senate at its plenary on Wednesday,
which urged the security agencies to halt, arrest and prosecute Fulani herdsmen
for raping and killing six Edo women among other criminal activities across the
country. Two of the women killed by the herdsmen were identified as Martina
Emoyon and one Ariu. Both hailed from Ewu in Esan Central local government
council while the other four unidentified victims hailed from Edo North
senatorial district.
Boko Haram
becomes lesser evil
A scrutiny
of the activities of Boko Haram insurgent within the same period under review
shows that the Islamic sect killed far less than half of the people killed by
herdsmen.
On May 5,
five people were killed in an attack by two female suicide bombers in the
Northeast. On the 13th, one person was killed and another injured by suicide
bombers at the University of Maiduguri. Also, on the 15th, nine members of the
insurgent group arrived on motorcycles in Amarwa, a suburb of Maiduguri, and
killed 11 farmers in their fields with machetes before escaping. On the 16th,
three female suicide bombers attacked a herding community in northeast Nigeria,
killing two people and injuring seven others.
On the 20th,
at least seven people were killed and more than 40 injured from gunshots in
separate attacks by Boko Haram militant group rampaging within recently
liberated Borno communities.
Their
activities in April, 2017 show that on the 7th, seven persons were killed by
Boko Haram militants near Maiduguri. On April 26, seven were killed by two
bombings in Maiduguri. On the 25th, four civilians were killed and 13 others
were injured when three suicide bombers blew themselves up in Borno State. The
same day, a vigilante and a civilian were killed and 11 others were injured
when three suicide bombers blew themselves up. On the 28th, at least five
soldiers were killed and another 40 injured when a Boko Haram extremist blew
himself up.
In March
2017, reports show that: Boko Haram militants on the 13th executed three men.
They were accused of being Nigerian military spies.
On the 15th,
four soldiers and a police officer were killed in a Boko Haram ambush in
Magumeri. On the same day, four female teenage suicide bombers killed six
people and injured 16 others in a residential area in Maiduguri. On the 16th,
two soldiers and a police officer were killed and many others injured in a Boko
Haram attack. On the 17th, a police officer was killed and another was injured
in a Boko Haram ambush.
On the 19th,
three suicide bombers killed at least four people and injured eight others in
Maiduguri. Also, a soldier was killed and 13 others injured in an operation on
the 20th. Eight people were killed in multiple suicide blasts along a highway
in Maiduguri on the 22nd.
On the 30th,
Boko Haram ambushed Dangote trucks, killing three persons, including two
drivers, and injuring three others at Kubuwa village. In the same day, 12
people were killed in multiple Boko Haram attacks on Wumyeduga village. At
least 23 people were also injured in the multiple attacks, which involved the
detonation of explosives by a suspected female suicide bomber at the village’s
cemetery, Damboa.
For the
month of February, 2017 statistics of death toll caused by the insurgent group
show that, a security personnel and a civilian were killed in an attack in
Damaturu on the 7th. On the 11th, seven soldiers were killed and 19 injured in
Boko Haram ambush in Borno State. On the same day, the sect invaded a village
in Borno State and set ablaze dozens of residential houses and a person trapped
in the attack died.
On the 13th,
Boko Haram invaded Mifa community in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno
State, killing an Islamic scholar and breaking the hands of a boy. On the 17th,
suicide bombing killed two civilians, while the police in Maiduguri killed
eight of the attackers.
In January,
2017, a large group of militants attacked a Nigerian Army base in Buni Yadi,
but were repelled by government forces. At least five soldiers and 15 attackers
were killed, with an unknown number injured in Yobe. On the 10th, two female
bombers killed themselves and three other people, when they went to private
residences in the Kalari area, disguised as visitors. On the 11th, a bomb
planted by Boko Haram militants in Yobe killed a Nigerian soldier.
On the 13th,
suicide bombers killed six and injured many in a crowded market in Madagali. On
the 14th,two soldiers were killed in Borno State in a roadside bombing. On the
same day, three soldiers were killed by Boko Haram. Ten attackers were also
killed. On the 16th, two teenage suicide bombers exploded at University of
Maiduguri, killing three people, including a professor.
On the 23rd,
the sect invaded a Borno village, killed
eight people and abducted an unspecified number of women and children. Also, on
the 25th,
The
insurgent group killed four people in multiple suicide bombing attacks in
Miaduguri. On the 29th, the sect attacked a convoy of motorists along a
recently secured highway, killing at least seven people and injuring many
others Borno. On the 30th, the sect killed 15 people in Madagali. On the 31st,
a suicide bomber stormed the Dalori quarters mosque, during the morning
prayers, killing one of their members in Maiduguri.
The reports
of the sect’s killings in December 2016, show that on the 9th about 57 were killed and 177 injured in two
explosions in Madagali.
on the
13, the sect’s attacks left three dead
and 17 Injured in Maiduguri. On the 11th, three people were killed in in two
suicide bombing attack in Maiduguri. On the 13th, Boko Haram attacked a
military base in Borno state village of Kamuya leaving scores dead. On the
17th, eight African Coalition Forces were killed by Boko Haram militants in
Lake chad.
On the 26th,
two suicide bombers struck in Maiduguri. Only one of the attackers was said to
have died, as the other was reportedly captured before striking.
For the
month of November 2016, reports have it that on the 1st, nine civilians were
killed when a car bomb exploded near a military checkpoint in Gubio. On the
5th, an army officer and six soldiers were killed by Boko Haram militants in a
gun battle in Borno.
On the 8th,
gunmen killed more than 30 gold miners in a remote area of northern Maru
Nigeria. On the 8th, four people died and six others injured after after
suicide bombers exploded improvised explosive device.
On the 11th,
two persons were killed in an early morning bomb blast in the Umulari area of
Maiduguri.
On the 16th,
one other soldier died and eight others injured in the Boko Haram ambush that
led to the death of B.U. Umar, a lieutenant colonel in Borno.
On the 18th,
Boko Haram suicide bombers caused the death of six persons, injuring many more
in multiple bomb blasts.
On the 23th,
at least two persons were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Maiduguri.
In October
2016, below is the report of the death toll by Boko Haram. Five persons were
killed in an attack by members of the sect in a village in Borno State on the
11th. 18 people were reported dead in an explosion, which occurred in
Maiduguri, Borno State on October 12.
On the 29th,
two suicide bombers killed at least eight people in Maiduguri.
On the 17th,
Boko Haram claimed it killed 20 soldiers in Ghashghar, Nigeria.
Below is the
report for September 2016. On the 19th, 40 were killed in Malam Fatori. On the 20th, four soldiers and
civilian JTF members died in Borno towns of Miyanti and Dareljamal after an
ambush on the army by the insurgents. On the 26th, the Nigerian Army lost one
officer and three soldiers to a landmine and ambush by the Boko Haram in
Maiduguri.
In August
2106, reports show that on the 1st, nine
Christian villagers were cut down by the sect, who also burned three churches
in Ninte.
On the 20th,
the sect killed seven people with machine guns, before abducting dozens more,
in the village of Kuruburu.
In July,
2016, reports show that on the 8th, at least nine people were killed and
“dozens” injured after a suicide bombing attack on a Mosque in Borno. There was
also a second suicide bombing at another Mosque in Damboa. On the 9th, the
insurgent group raided a town with guns and explosives, killing seven people
and damaging buildings in Rann.
On the 12th,
Boko Haram attack in Borno was repelled by Nigeria Army resulting in the deaths
of 25 militants. Two soldiers were killed during the attack in Kangarwa.
June 2016
reports have it that on the 15th, at least four females were killed and several
abducted after many Boko Haram militants attacked in Kau Tuva village. Some
sources say the number of those kidnapped is four. Many houses were burnt down.
Vigilantes followed the attackers and rescued one of the kidnapped after a gun
battle. A vigilante was injured. On the 17th, at least 24 people were killed and
at least 10 injured after Boko Haram militants attacked a funeral in Kuda. On
the 20th, at least two were killed after several Boko Haram militants attacked
Wumbi village, the second attack there by them in a week.
Afenifere
kicks
Commenting
on this development, Spokesman for Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group,
Yinka Odumakin said the activities of the herdsmen can lead to civil war in the
country and possible breakup of the country.
According to
him, their activities suggest an expansionist agenda. “The Fulani herdsmen we
used to know carried stick, but when they started carrying assault rifles like
AK 47 and nobody is arresting them, there is hidden agenda to that and it
started in 2015. If their activities are not checked, it can lead to civil war
and possible break up of the country. There is a limit to which you can take
this mindless killings and attacks, including raping women, destruction of
communities. They have been above the law all over this country.
“The time
will soon come when some of the affected communities would say that enough is
enough. I don’t know why it is extremely difficult to call these people to
order, and they have become a militia and worse than Boko Haram and their
activities will put Nigeria into another civil war and the country cannot
survive another civil war.
“Look at
their areas of attack, the South and the North Central, and that is why we say
it is an expansionist agenda. Grazing reserve in every state is not supported,
they should establish ranch, which is the modern way of rearing animals. If you
want to rear cattle, go and do a ranch.”
Our people
kill only in self-defence
Reacting to
the condemnation of the killings by herdsmen, the Assistant National Secretary,
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Dr. Abdullahi Ibrahim,
said in an interview with Saturday Sun that it is not possible that the
activities of the herdsmen will lead to civil war and break up of the country.
He noted that disintegration is not the solution to the problem stressing that
it is a national problem that Nigerians should sit down and discuss.
According to
Dr. Ibrahim, the whole issue of Fulani herdsmen is about misconception. “You
find a man moving with over 100 cows, and his entire life depends on those
cows; he has no bank account where he keeps his money; he has no farm where he
grows crops to feed when the cows are not there; he is not educated to look for
another job when the business of cattle rearing has ended.
The only
thing he knows in life is to rear those cattle, and he is aware that whenever
there is any problem that it will affect the lives of his family members and
the cattle he is herding.
So, if they
told you that such a man could just attack any community, will you believe
that? No logic can accept that.
The truth of
the matter is that people go and provoke cattle rearers, and attack them, but
there are no newspapers or any other media outlet to report that.
When they go
back to organise themselves to avenge or carry out reprisal, then it is all in
the news. The news is that, Fulani herdsmen or terrorists or whatever you call them
are attacking. That is not fair.
“Wherever
you see Fulani herdsmen attacking a community, if you look at the cause, you
find out that they might have been attacked or their cattle might have been
killed or his property or that of his family members before he took that
decision to carry out reprisal.
“The
movement of nomads is facilitated by the availability of what we call, stock
route, which is all over the country, some of them from one country to another.
The situation today is that you can hardly walk for ten kilometers without
finding one form of human activity or another that blocks such route. It could
be a farm or any other thing, and once these cattle rearers encroach on that
activity, it is enough to cause trouble.
“What we are
saying is that the government should look at the issue of cattle rearing and
bring a permanent solution to the problem. To be sincere, I don’t think the
traditional way of rearing animals that we find today is suitable in any part
of Africa. We need to find a way of settling these people so that they cannot
move from one place to another thereby causing trouble.
“There is
also the need for journalists to investigate beyond what has happened, and be
fair in their reporting. If you say a Fulani man has attacked a community, if
you go back you can find out that he had been attacked before. The second issue
is that, it is giving the Fulani man a bad name in order to hang him for
political reasons, may be because the president of Nigeria is a Fulani and you
unleash all this form of propaganda to achieve a political cause.
“We have
seen instances where people of other tribes or nationalities appeared as if
they were Fulani men and attacked their people, and it would be attributed as
herdsmen attack. We have seen it in
Benue and Enugu recently.
There is
also the third factor, which all of us must accept, that some of the Fulani
have lost their culture because of integration, and are now involved in crime
and criminality, and it is very wrong to think that all Fulani are criminals.
You have criminals in every tribe, but you cannot say Yoruba armed robber, Igbo
armed robber, Ijaw armed robber or kidnapper etc, but you have seen how it is
reported in the media, Fulani armed robber or Fulani kidnapper, as if this
armed robbery started from the Fulani. It started from the South.
“The last
point you motioned about the country disintegrating because of alleged
activities of herdsmen, I don’t think that is possible because if you traverse
the entire West African subcontinent, there is no where you will not find a
Fulani.
So if the
Southeast, the Southwest or the South-south decides to secede from Nigeria,
there will still be Fulani men in their areas.
“It is a
national issue, which is becoming an international issue that we have to sit
down and may be with some of our sister West African countries because there is
this ECOWAS Protocol on movement of people and goods. The most important thing
is that each West African country should sit down and think on how they can
collaborate and the problem. Because Nigeria is a tribal oriented country, when
there is a problem with your neighbour, you don’t see it as a problem and
sometimes you even ignore it, and there is no country that will develop in that
way.
“If there is
a problem that affected the Igbo or Yoruba as a race and the Hausa man decided
to fold his hands because it doesn’t affect him, one day it will come to him.
That is how the issue of armed robbery started in early 70s in the Southern
part of the country, especially Benin and other towns. Look at it today, every
tribe is involved in the business. Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulani, Ijaw etc.
“It is a
national issue that we have to address. It has nothing to do with this country
disintegrating. Even if you disintegrate, you will still find Fulani people in
your community. Disintegration will never be a solution.”
Senate
expresses worry
Worried by
continued cases of killings of Nigerians across the country by suspected
herdsmen, the Senate at its plenary penultimate Wednesday and, this last
Wednesday ordered the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris to as a
matter of urgent national security priority, arrest all armed killers
masquerading as herdsmen in communities, forests, and farms across the country.
The upper
legislative chamber, which constituted an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate all
cases of killings by terrorist elements who are masquerading as herdsmen
nationwide, also declared that the culprits must be brought to justice.
* Sun News*
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