According to an African proverb, “If the keg of palm-wine is not quickly snatched from the hands of an exuberant drunk, he may drink himself to stupor.” A similar proverb has it that “If an overzealous child is not assisted by his elders when roasting yams in the farm, he may innocently set the farm and the hut ablaze”.

There is no denying the fact that the foregoing African proverbs succinctly illustrate the repercussions of the spiralling seemingly intractable rate of bestiality which Fulani herdsmen are fomenting in the recent times across the expansive green landscape of the South-South, South-East and South-West geo-political zones of the country if not called to order by their own Kinsmen.

If the Fulani herdsmen are not called to order by their own kinsmen, it may create a hydra-headed security challenge that may make the challenges already posed by Boko Haram look like a child`s play. There is no denying the fact that the reason behind the foregoing expressed fear cannot be farfetched when the sanguinary activities of the herdsmen are circumspectly and dispassionately looked into.

Without any iota of exaggeration, it is expedient that Fulani traditional rulers, Fulani sons and daughters who belong to the class of our contemporary political elites call their Kinsmen to order in their own native tongue. After all, Dr. Nelson Mandela of blessed memory was quoted to have said that “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart.”

Reasoning from the perspective of the late sage as quoted in the foregoing, one may in this context opine that Fulani herdsmen who have in the recent times held farmers in hapless communities to ransom have not been getting the message that they should desist from the habit of killing, maiming and raping members of their host communities into their hearts. Rather, the messages are going to their heads.

Before I am accused of sounding hyperbolic by opinion moulders and assertive personalities that are of Fulani extraction, it is expedient to mention some gory incidents that were recently perpetrated by some unscrupulous herdsmen.

For instance, just 7 days into the new year, suspected Fulani Herdsmen invaded Kwayine Community in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, killing five persons, including three mobile policemen and two civilians. It was reported in the media that several people were wounded. Not only were people wounded, the community was completely burnt down.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Othman Abubakar, who confirmed the development to journalists in Yola, said that four rifles belonging to the policemen were also missing.

In a similar vein, it was recently reported that some herdsmen clashed with members of Abraka and Obiarukwu communities in Ethiope East and Ukwani Local Government Areas, respectively.

However, the Nigeria Police Command in Delta refuted the story. The command’s spokesman, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, refuted the story in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri, Delta, few hours after the news emanated.

You may wonder why the foregoing incident was cited as an instance in this context if it was refuted. Permit me to say that I deliberately cited it to illustrate the fact that if the herdsmen had not collectively become a pain in the neck to their host communities that the rumour could not have been peddled in the first place.

There is no denying the fact that the reckless and criminal activities of Fulani herdsmen in the country is tarnishing the image of the country. For instance in a report titled “Drought worsens deadly battle between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria”, and published on the online edition of the UK Guardian of January 3, 2017, it was reported that “The herders, mostly northern Fulani, are sometimes young children. Tiny figures beneath their large, wide-brimmed hats, they carry bows and arrows as they shuttle their cattle south in the heat. Yet their novel appearance belies a deadly crisis that, in the past few years, has spiralled out of control.”

It is expedient to say that this piece is written to urge the federal government through the office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to replicate the town hall meetings that were held across the country by the Federal Government in 2016 in communities where Fulani herdsmen can be found. No doubt, the town hall meeting, if well coordinated would serve as an avenue for both the government, Fulani elites and the herdsmen to exchange ideas that would engender peace and a deeper understanding of the festering crisis.

Finally, apart from partnering with the federal government, Fulani elites should also organise similar meetings to enable them persuade their kinsmen to eschew violence in their host communities, and also let them understand that they are tarnishing the collective reputation of the Fulani people in the eyes of other ethnic groups in the country.
Isaac Asabor, a Journalist, writes from Lagos