Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has urged everyone to support the government in tackling the challenge of terrorists masquerading as Fulani nomads to cause mayhem in the country.
Jonathan asserted that the insurgents were exploiting the conflict between pastoralists and farmers to perpetrate terror, while declaring an international conference on Security and Development Challenges of Pastoralism in West and Central Africa open in Kaduna on Monday.
Represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo at a conference themed, The Role of Pastoralists for Sustainable Peace and National Security, Jonathan lamented the, intensity and dimension of the conflict over the last few years, describing it as alarming.
“This conflict, unfortunately, has been predominant in Plateau, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba States. Some other states in Northern Nigeria are also exposed to such challenges. Such challenges had also been reported in the southern part of the country,” Jonathan said.
“The state of conflict continues to pose serious threat to the nation’s security, stability and economic development, we are all aware of the threats posed to the nation by the activities of insurgents.”
The president noted that terrorists are exploiting the persistent pastoralists-farmers conflict to form a hybrid type of insurgency, masquerading as pastoralists to wage war against the state. Jonathan charged stakeholders, community and religious leaders and youth groups, to continue pursuing peace rather than resort to conflict and violence.
“It is, therefore, pertinent to state that issues affecting pastoralists, especially pertaining to the current clashes with farmers, is holistically being addressed,” Jonathan said. “Government would continue to encourage the transformation of pastoralists into a more vibrant and better production system that would benefit pastoralists, farmers and the country in general.”
National Security Adviser Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), revealed that the government was collaborating with state governments and other stakeholders to tackle the frequent conflicts between pastoralists and farmers in the country.
Dasuki assured that a solution that will halt the crisis which has claimed many lives in different parts of the country is being sought. He emphasized that dialogue between the pastoralists and farmers would go a long way in creating a peaceful co-existence between the parties.
“I will like to commend the recent initiative of the Inspector-General of Police for bringing all aggrieved persons to a round table to discuss the way out,” Dasuki said. “The crisis has nothing to do with religion against what other people think. When the cows come to your farms, they don’t differentiate a Muslim or Christian farm, they will just destroy them, but people will always attribute the incident to religion or ethnicity which is not so.”
