There seems to be no end to the sorrow, tears and blood flowing in Kaduna State, as no fewer than twenty-one people were killed in fresh attacks on four communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the southern part of Kaduna State over the weekend. While the State governor, Nasir El-Rufai claims to have done so much to end the carnage, the latest round of killings by the dreaded Fulani herdsmen, following several similarly gruesome killings in the past, have reinforced the palpable despair that the invasive terrorism-related carnage is far from ever abating. Moreover, given the multi-dimensional tractions of violence by the herdsmen, and its tendency to reverberate in other parts of the country, there is a gradual entrenchment of human indignity or low premium on life in the country. The government of the day at all levels has its job well cut out: Save Nigeria from the rampaging herdsmen.
Rightly or wrongly, the fact that not a single herdsman has either been arrested or prosecuted despite the havoc they have wrecked in many communities across the country, smack of official complicity, and reinforces the growing perception of a hidden agenda that borders on territorial conquest and Islamization of Nigeria. There are still fundamental issues that the killings by the Fulani herdsmen raise and which can no longer continued to be ignored. Given the sadistic patterns of killings by the herdsmen, many Nigerians have come to the conclusion that there is something more sinister going on than mere clashes between farmers and cattle rearers. And the resort to the use of sophisticated weapons by the herdsmen in various parts of the country, especially in the South and Middle Belt calls for introspection and a need to act fast. And it is no secret that Christians are the prime target of the herdsmen, as several houses belonging to Christians were reportedly burnt in the attacks which occurred on Sunday and Monday. The affected communities included Ashim, Nissi and Zilan in Atakad District, Kaura Local Government as well as Bakin Kogi, Goska District of Jama’a Local Government Area. The President of Atakad Community Development Association, Enock Andong, who confirmed the attacks in Ashim, Nissi and Zilan, said 15 people were killed while 55 houses were burnt.
The dangerous activities of the Fulani herdsmen have curiously become the third national security crisis in a country still smarting from the debilitating effects of Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast and Niger Delta militants. This is worrisome. What is better known but not said is that the Kaduna State and the Federal government are not winning the war against the herdsmen, and the new wave of killings is indeed fueling anxiety as to whether the fight against the herdsmen would ever be won. This is sad and seems to call into question all the efforts of the government at both state and federal level. No doubt, the snowballing activities of the herdsmen have had far-reaching effect on the image of the country and, logically, have hampered local productive forces and the inflow of direct foreign investment. It is just as well that the Institute for Economics and Peace, Global Terrorism Index (GTI) has named the Fulani herdsmen as the fifth deadliest terror group in the world.
It is important to underscore once again some obvious limitations to the fight against the herdsmen. Whether admitted or not, it is clear even to the layman that there is no political will at both the state and federal level to combat the atrocities perpetrated by the rampaging cowmen. There is equally a suspicion that certain actors in the Kaduna state government are there for selfish profiteering from the activities of the murderous herdsmen. For this set of actors, the longer the crisis, the better. Above all, the other dimension of perceived government complicity beyond its deafening silence in the face of killings is the belated attempt by its functionaries to downplay the patterned mayhem inflicted by the Fulani herdsmen on Nigerians.
Given all of this, certain lines of actions are easily discernible which must be pursued. A special joint task force to checkmate the activities of the herdsmen should be created and be battle ready to be deployed in the event of an attack by the herdsmen anywhere in the country. The synthetization of command in the operations against the herdsmen is imperative. The commander of such a joint task force should be given the liberty to draw up his rules of engagement/order of battle. Equipping the Special Forces troops for better performance must be fast-tracked and done in a transparent way while everything must be done to disarm the herdsmen of their military and high capacity magazines assault-style weapons in order to cut off the rear guard of the roving insurgents. Meanwhile, bureaucrats in the Kaduna state government, beginning with Gov. El-Rufai, are known to have exhibited the worst form of tardiness on matters of national interest while enamored of pecuniary benefits that go with their perks of office. Therefore, those entrusted with strategic responsibilities in the fight against these terrorist herdsmen must be people with the highest professional and personal integrity. El-Rufai has proven by his own actions that he cannot be an honest broker in this matter, and so he must recuse himself from all efforts to resolve the conflict.
The desire of the herdsmen to have boundless access to grazing fields across Nigeria is certainly unacceptable. The Federal Government must be told in clear terms that it has no power to alienate lands from the people, for state governments hold land in trust for the people. The point should also be made; and with emphasis that cattle herding is a private business enterprise. The so-called nomads are mere individuals in the employ of big cattle owners. Need it be said that contemporary cattle business is done through ranching. Besides, Nigeria is a federal state and not a garrisoned centralized government to be ruled at the whims and caprices of a particular group. Any such move would only raise further tension in the polity and create all-round instability.
If, and whenever he decides to return to the job Nigerians elected him to do, President Buhari must stop playing the ostrich and take decisive action to end the menace of the Fulani herdsmen and the clear and present danger their actions pose to the continuous corporate existence of Nigeria as a nation. If Gov. El-Rufai and his security chiefs do not appreciate the enormity of the challenge before them, the latest round of killings ought to drive the message home better; that the menace of the herdsmen appear to be a snake only scorched and not killed. Indeed, with the influx of riffle-wielding herdsmen traversing the length and breadth of the country and inflicting carnage on the nation, Nigerians must come to terms with the gravity of the looming crisis and take immediate action to halt the descent into anarchy.
Nigeria is bleeding profusely. Nigerians want peace and an end to the blood-letting and wailing.
