LAGOS — HARD knocks and kudos, yesterday, heralded President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to the Chief of Defence Staff and Inspector General of Police to crack down on rampaging herdsmen, who have been attacking many villages and killing hundreds of people across the country. President Buhari President Buhari’s order came on the heels of the latest attack on Ukpabi Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State on Monday, in which about 40 persons were killed and 11 buildings destroyed. Among those, who spoke on the issue, yesterday, were Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; former presidential candidate and Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Olu Falae; former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav; former Transport Minister, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; National Publicity of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Muhammad Ibrahim; National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin; founder of the Igbo Youths Movement, IYM, Evangelist Elliot Uko; President of Arewa Consultative Youths Forum, ACYF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima and Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo. Soyinka blasts Buhari over killings In clear terms, Professor Soyinka criticised the President over his seeming inability to rein in the violent activities of herdsmen across the country. In his address to the National Conference on Culture and Tourism, Wednesday, Soyinka said the President Buhari-led government was yet to come up with an articulate solution to tackle the menace. He said: “I have yet to hear this government articulate a firm policy of non-tolerance for the serial massacres that have become the nation’s identification stamp. I have not heard an order given that any cattle herder caught with sophisticated firearms be instantly disarmed, arrested, placed on trial, and his cattle confiscated. The nation is treated to an 18month optimistic plan which, to make matters worse, smacks of abject appeasement and encouragement of violence on innocents. “Let me repeat, and of course I only ask to be corrected if wrong: I have yet to encounter a terse, rigorous, soldierly and uncompromising language from this leadership, one that threatens a response to this unconscionable blood-letting that would make even Boko Haram repudiate its founding clerics. “When I read a short while ago, the Presidential assurance to this nation that the current homicidal escalation between the cattle prowlers and farming communities would soon be over, I felt mortified. “He had the solution, he said. Cattle ranches were being set up, and in another 18 months, rustlings, destruction of livelihood and killings from herdsmen would be ‘a thing of the past’. 18 months, he assured the nation. I believe his Minister of Agriculture echoed that later, but with a less dispiriting time schema.” Senate summons service chiefs Worried by these developments, the Senate, yesterday, summoned the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, to brief the lawmakers on the efforts put in place to address the problem. Also to appear before the Senate today are the National Security Adviser, NSA, General Babagana Monguno (retd); Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Yusuf Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok- Ete Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar; and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Vice Marshall Mirgan Riku. According to the Senate, inviting the service chiefs would enable it get briefs on the fleeing terrorists to ensure that measures are put in place to forestall spread of terrorists activities all over the country as well as carry out an investigation of the incidents and suggest ways of stopping the attacks before the affected communities resort to self- help. The Senate also set up a six-member ad-hoc committee to investigate cases of killing by suspected herdsmen across the country and come up with solutions to the problems, with the Senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South representing North East, as chairman. The committee has been given next week to commence work with a public hearing. Meanwhile, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, in his contribution, noted that Fulani herdsmen had killed Nigerians on annual basis more than Boko Haram sect. “The herdsmen are now considered one of the worst terrorist organisations in the world today. They are a deadly force, they have turned Nigeria into a very dangerous country,” he said. ACF commends Buhari, says attacks unfortunate The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, said the country could not afford to graduate from Boko Haram insurgency to an unwarranted attack by unknown gunmen alleged to be Fulani herdsmen. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim, the ACF said: “The attack was most unfortunate, barbaric and condemnable. Arewa Consultative Forum commends the prompt action taken by President Muhammadu Buhari by directing the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector General of Police to not only secure the affected communities under attacks by herdsmen but also ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly acts are fished out and brought to justice.” It can result in self-help — Ohanaeze The apex Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, has warned that the ugly development was capable of resulting in reprisal attacks unless the Federal Government puts measures in place to stop the killings across the country. This came as Abia State House of Assembly directed security agencies in the state to thoroughly search all trucks and other vehicles conveying cattle, onions, tomatoes, fruits and other goods from northern part of the country to the state, for arms and ammunition. Similarly, Anglican Communion, traders and other residents of Enugu protested the killings of innocent villagers at Nimboe as well as previous killings of Ndigbo in the South-East President-General of Ohanaeze, Gary Enwo-Igariwey, at briefing, yesterday, warned that the failure of security agents to arrest these herdsmen would only result in the communities resorting to self-help to defend themselves. He said it was very dangerous to allow gun trotting youths to continue to run riots on unsuspecting communities, adding that the Federal Government had much to do to ensure the continuous corporate existence of the country. Govt should not stop at just sending security forces —Tsav Also speaking, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, said: “Apart from what the President has said, I believe the only thing that will be the lasting solution to the killings by Fulani herdsmen is for the government to set up an inquiry committee to find out why they are doing so. Sending security agencies after them will not be enough because they are masters of the bush; they live in the bush and are very united.” Buhari’s directive reassuring – Falae Chief Olu Falae, who was kidnapped by the herdsmen at his farm in Ondo State, recently, said the President’s statement was reassuring. “It is a welcome development and it is most reassuring. As you know, I was a victim of these herdsmen terrorism. So, I am happy that the president has declared war on this terrorism which has the potential to destabilize Nigeria. So, I am happy but I hope that the security forces will take the order from the president and ensure that we all feel safe and secured in our respective communities. It’s too late – Adebanjo Chief Ayo Adebanjo said the president’s comment was belated. “Too late to comment. It does not show that he was conscious of the lives of the people that have been killed in the last three months. It was the same thing we accused Jonathan of saying nothing about the Boko Haram. Anyway, it is better late than never and now the excuses being made is that they are not Fulani, including some responsible people. “What evidences have the police provided to arrest those who are not Fulani but are calling themselves Fulani? At what stage did it occur to them that they are just hoodlums? Buhari should act fast — Babatope Chief Ebenezer Babatope urged Buhari to act fast on the herdsmen’s murderous activities to avert mayhem. He said: “I think the President has capacity to arrest the situation and he must act very fast for the purpose of unity of this country. The killings are becoming too much and Nigerians are tired of these senseless killings.” President should ‘ve addressed the nation – Odumakin On his part, National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin, said the president should have addressed the nation on the matter rather than speak through an aide. He said: “For public relations, the president should have spoken to the nation directly on this kind of matter, rather than speaking through an aide..” It’s a welcome development – Shettima For the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, no one should hide under any guise to commit crime. Its National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima said: “It is a good development because nobody is above the law. Making a bold statement like this is a good development because we cannot continue to live in a country where there is law and order and people take laws into their hands and get away with it as if we are running a banana republic. We cannot accept that.”
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