Wale Sokunbi
Unending killings appear to have become a permanent feature of Plateau and Benue States. Hardly a week passes without horrendous tales of mindless bloodletting perpetrated by alleged Fulani herdsmen in the states. Even while the tears are yet to dry and no one has actually been convicted or jailed for the horrible massacre of scores of persons in an early morning attack in Benue State some months ago, another set of herdsmen again last weekend unleashed terror on eleven communities, including Gashish, Nyarr, Gana-Ropp and Shonong in Barkin-Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State. About 140 persons were reported to have lost their lives by natives of the communities, while the police confirmed 86 persons dead.
The pattern of responses to these latest attacks has not deviated from what Nigerians have been treated to following similar past massacres. The umbrella body of Fulani cattle breeders in the country, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, has characteristically hinged the attacks on the rustling of over 100 cattle by some people in the that affected communities. As far as the Association is concerned, that is a good enough reason for the wanton killings. The chairman, North-central zone of the association, Danladi Ciroma, described the attacks as “retaliatory,” even as the police authorities in the state said that the state governor had been informed of the cattle rustling and had appealed to the herdsmen that there should be no reprisals, but that the security agencies should be allowed to do their job of recovering the cattle and punishing the culprits. His appeals apparently failed, as the herdsmen launched the deadly attacks barely 24 hours after the peace overtures.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in his reaction, decried what he described as “the cheapening of human lives” and called for restraint. He attributed the killings to“geographical and economic factors” that were seized by politicians to fuel the attacks to discredit his regime and improve their own chances in the 2019 general elections. He also urged affected Nigerians to abide by the rule of law in resolving the crisis. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also condemned the massacre and called it a case of genocide aimed at wiping out the Christian community in the state. Soja Bewarang, Chairman of CAN in the state, said the killings were no longer between farmers and herdsmen but “a deliberate attempt to conquer and occupy the land of the Berom people, which is their ancestral heritage. The association urged the government to use its might to bring the killings to a stop. But for this call by CAN on the government to end the killings, there is little in the reactions of many of those who have spoken on the massacre so far to suggest that the government actually has a responsibility, or the capacity, to end the killings.
Instead, it has been justifications, lamentations and frivolous excuses all the way. Certainly, if there are geographical and economic reasons why herdsmen are attacking farmers in the country, and politicians are seizing the opportunity to perpetrate mayhem for political ends, the federal government and its security agencies ought to be able to say a definite No to this, and ensure that all those responsible for such dastardly behavior are brought to book in a way that will serve as a determent to all other such troublemakers in the country.
It is, therefore, nothing but the inaction and seeming acquiescence of the government to the herdsmen menace that has made them appear untouchable and invincible in the country. A situation in which certain groups of people ride rough shod over others and kill with impurity, can only breed the type of situation that Nigeria now has on her hands.
Since it is simply inconceivable that the authorities could be implicit in these endless killings of Nigerians, it has become necessary for the security agencies to give a good account of themselves and bring this crisis to a resolution. It is common wisdom that a person who cannot perform the functions of the office to which he has been appointed should resign and leave the space for someone else who can do it. Commissioner s of police who cannot handle this difficult assignment in their states should either resign or ask for redeployment.
In this regard, the decision of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to remove the Plateau state commissioner of police, Undie Adie, is a step in the right direction. It should signal the beginning of seriousness in handling the incessant killings in Plateau and Benue States. The police commissioners in the troubled states need to be made to know that they will be held responsible for the security of their states.
So far, the performance of the police on the herdsmen’s attacks has been unsatisfactory. They have, in fact, been accused of complicity in some of the attacks as they appear not to be ready to do anything to protect the local communities.While some of these cases may be due to the policemen fearing for their own lives, they cannot be allowed to get away with the impression that they are only to enjoy the gains of their offices without discharging the responsibilities of such offices. And, they should not only jump into action when herdsmen are killed, as the recent conviction of five Christian youths for killing some herdsmen is suggesting. On the rustling of 300 cows complained about by Miyetti Allah, it may be necessary to ask our security agencies whether 300 cows are 300 needles that can be kept in a handbag and taken away. The security agencies should be able to account for the movement of such a large number of cows out of the affected communities, and to where. If the cows have been moved outside the country, what are the security agencies doing to check the menace of foreign herdsmen ravaging Nigeria’s farming communities with impunity?
The unending killings on the Plateau are unacceptable. Let the government unequivocally demonstrate its capacity to end the killings. Nigerians have a right to be safe in their communities.