Following series of eviction threats against Fulani herders in the southern part of the country, the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) has expressed concern over the tension generated by the eviction orders.
They said the development was heating the already fragile security atmosphere in all parts of the country even as there were threats of retaliation by youths in many states in the North.
The northern governors, however, said they were working assiduously to contain the threat that generated tension in the North but needed the support and commitment of their colleagues in the South.
The forum stated this in a virtual emergency meeting its members held Monday night to discuss issues affecting the region and the nation in general.
It was presided over by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong.
According to the communiqué released on Tuesday, the northern governors said there was an urgent need for all the 36 state governors to meet under the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and discuss the issue holistically with a view to resolving all areas of misunderstanding and conflicts arising from these threats and suspicion for the sake of national unity. The northern governors called for restraint from leaders, including those from the southern parts of the country where passions were high.
Similarly, they called on all the citizens of northern extraction to continue to live in peace with all Nigerians irrespective of their origins and backgrounds.
The communiqué called on “political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as criminals. The Forum reiterates that it condemns every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally.”
It noted with concern the tension generated by the eviction order issued to herdsmen in some parts of the country.
“This is heating the already fragile security atmosphere with threats of reprisals, which the northern governors are working assiduously to contain.”
Open grazing not sustainable
The 19 northern governors noted that the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing was no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanisation and population, adding that they will aggressively sensitise herdsmen on the need to adopt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods.
The governors, therefore, appealed to the federal government to support states with grants to directly undertake pilot projects of modern livestock production that will serve as springboard and evidence for breaking resistance to the full implementation of new methods of livestock production.
They urged political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as criminals, and reiterated that they condemn every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally.
A resolution was also reached to engage elders and youths in a robust discussion in order to douse the tensed security environment in the North and a four-man committee was set up in that respect to be headed by the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum.
The forum said its committee reports were at various stages of completion and resolved that all the reports should be turned in before the next meeting scheduled for the end of February in Kaduna where they will be deliberated upon.
Inter-tribal agitations worrisome- Lawan
Senate President Ahmad Lawan said on Tuesday that Nigerian leaders must work in unison to fight and defeat criminality and divisive tendencies.
In his speech delivered during plenary to welcome lawmakers back from the Christmas/New Year recess, Lawan said insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and militancy remained serious threats to a secured and safe Nigeria.
He said it would require the collaborative effort of the legislature and executive to tackle the menace.
The Senate president described the recent inter-tribal agitations and conflicts in some states in the South West as “worrisome”, saying it required the immediate intervention of political leaders.
“Leaders must unite to fight and defeat criminality in the country. Leaders must also unite to fight any divisive and centrifugal sentiments and tendencies,” he said. Lawan noted that the National Assembly would collaborate with all tiers of government towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.
“Political leaders are problem solvers. As parliamentarians, we should search for possible legislations to address the issues that tend to create tensions amongst our people.
“We are going to consult and partner with all arms and tiers of governments, in our quest to finding lasting solutions to these ugly developments.”
Similarly, the Senate will today urge President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the heads of security agencies to rejig the nation’s security architecture for more effective countermeasures against security challenges. It will also urge “the federal government to immediately embark on an operation to checkmate proliferation of firearms and enforce the laws against illegal possession of firearms by arresting, disarming and punishing anyone in illegal possession of arms.”
These formed part of resolutions of a motion sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice, which was later stepped down.
In the motion, which was among those listed on the Order Paper for Tuesday, Senator Boroffice expressed concern that many Nigerians have injected ethnic sentiments into insecurity facing the country. These sentiments, he said, were “capable of plunging the nation into an ethno-religious crisis of ominous proportions.”
Gumi replies El- Rufai on dialogue with kidnappers
Renowned Islamic scholar, Dr Ahmad Gumi, said on Monday that many herders took up arms because of years of injustice including killing them and their cattle, extortion and burning their homes by security operatives.
He stated this in a telephone interview with our correspondent while replying to Governor Nasir El-Rufai and other critics of his mediation moves aimed at convincing criminal herdsmen to drop their guns and repent.
Governor El-Rufai had on Monday faulted the scholar’s mediation strategy with herders and bandits in states across the North West, insisting it was wrong to negotiate with them.
Gumi said he had seen enormous success from his interactions with the herders saying having gone deep into the forests in Zamfara State, the herders had assured him that they were willing to put down their arms as long as the state was willing and ready to accept and protect them.
“They were victims of violence so they took arms to protect themselves. Wherever they are as cattle herders, they face problems with farmers; we saw what happened in Oyo, how their homes and cattle were burnt. These people live in huts while those killing them and destroying their homes live a better life,” he said.
He said while it is wrong to attack and kill innocent people, it was also wrong to burn people’s properties and profile them as criminals.
“I am not talking about the criminals among them; there are criminals among them just like there are criminals, armed robbers, kidnappers among Yoruba and there are also robbers and kidnappers among the Igbo. We cannot hide the criminals among the herdsmen and condemn every herdsman. This is all we are saying.”
Reacting to El-Rufai’s statement that nobody offended the herdsmen and therefore they do not deserve compensation, Dr Gumi said: “Nobody said criminals should be compensated but 90 per cent of the herdsmen are victims of military violence. They lost their parents, they lost their cattle and houses because of military activities and so they should be compensated.”
He said the fact that the bandits were ignorant of religion doesn’t mean they should be eliminated as El-Rufai suggested.
“It doesn’t mean that just because somebody is ignorant of religion you should kill him. Teach him religion. What is the difference between you and the Boko Haram ideology, which calls people infidels and therefore they kill them? The herders are living in abject poverty, neglected, marginalised. Instead of buying fighter jets, why can’t you use the money to build schools, roads and hospitals for them? You have to give people their rights before you think of killing them,” he said.
Dr Gumi who started his sensitisation campaign in January has so far visited parts of Kaduna, Zamfara and Sokoto states.
“Zamfara State invited me to assist them. In Kaduna, I tried building schools for them from my pocket, the government is not assisting. But here (Zamfara) they invited us to come and assist them; so how do you expect us to stay where we are not assisted?”
He said his strategy to educate the herders on Islamic education had commenced with the distribution of books, adding that the herders had shown willingness to live a positive life.
“We cannot abandon them. I have a picture of some little girls that are drinking water from the same stream with animals. They have no social amenities; no hospitals and we are here talking.”
Bandits kill 23 in Kaduna
Barely 48 hours after bandits killed 16 people in Kutemeshi village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, 23 people were reportedly killed in five local government areas of the state.
Daily Trust reports that while 10 people were killed in a coordinated attack on Unguwar Gajere village in same Birnin Gwari Local Government Area on Monday night, 13 people were also killed in Giwa, Igabi, Chikun and Kauru local government areas of the state.
Daily Trust sources in Unguwar Gajere said there were mass movements of residents from the area to safer zones. Ibrahim Hamza of Dogon Dawa, told our correspondent that hundreds of people mostly women and children had fled.
Other sources claimed the bandits had also looted shops in the village and left four residents with gun wounds.
The Councillor representing Kutemeshi, Adamu Salisu, told our correspondent that local vigilante and brave youths had engaged the bandits during the attacks.
Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige, had earlier said the Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri was on his way to the community.
The Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the attacks.
“In Igabi Local Government Area, bandits shot dead one Dayyabu Yahuza between Sarkin Baka and Dankyawai village, near Gidan Kurmi. In Giwa local government area, armed bandits invaded Janbaba village, one Yakubu Sule was shot dead. In Kishisho village, Kauru Local Government Area, gunmen suspected to be from a neighbouring state killed five persons.
“In Chikun Local Government Area, five citizens were killed by bandits in Gwagwada-Kasaya village in Kunai ward. And in Agwa, Chikun LGA, one Bitrus Joseph was shot dead in an attack by bandits.”
The commissioner said one of the bandits was killed near Bugai, adding that Governor El-Rufai had sent condolences to the families that lost their loved ones and offered prayers for the repose of the souls of the slain and a speedy recovery for the injured.
From Dickson S. Adama (Jos), Abdullateef Salau (Abuja) & Mohammed I. Yaba (Kaduna)
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