Odiguete, an agrarian community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State has, in the past weeks witnessed the incursion of killer herdsmen who have declared war on the community, as has been the lot of many agrarian communities across the country. It was learnt that the herdsmen invaded the community on Friday, shooting sporadically and in the process killed two persons. Over 20 persons have been reportedly killed in the farmers herders clash in the community.
No fewer than twelve persons wounded are currently receiving treatment at Central hospital in Benin and other private hospitals while the remains of the two dead persons were said to have been deposited at an undisclosed mortuary.
Also, herdsmen in Ugboha, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, killed three persons same day as in Odigutue, including a first year Student of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Collins Ojieriakhi.
In Benue, Plateau, Nassarawa and Taraba States it has been bloodletting unlimited as herdsmen/farmers clashes continue to claim lives. In Zamfara State, 41 persons in Birane farming community were brutally killed by the herdsmen and were given mass burial according to Islamic rites.
When the herdsmen saga started, it was being given the colouration of Muslims on rampage to annihilate Christians in the country. But the sacking of the Birane farming community, which is a predominantly Islamic community changed that narrative. More Muslims have also been killed in Benue, Taraba,Nassarawaand Plateau killings.
In February this year, some farmers at Okere in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State reportedly killed 12 herdsmen. This was roundly condemned by the Arewa Consultative Forum, which also condemned the Birane killings.
The leadership of Miyetti Allah, the arrow head of the blood letting in the land have continued to boast of more killings if states that have enacted anti-grazing laws do not proscribe such laws, a position the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has also taken on the matter which has given him out as an interested party in the orgy of violence across the country.
All of these have implications for food security in the country. Already, Growth Enhancement Scheme Agro-dealers Association of Nigeria, GESAAN, has raised an alarm as they recently expressed worry over looming food scarcity in the country if the situation is not arrested.
National Chairman, of the group, Kabiru Umar, called for quick federal government interventions to cushion the effects on food production and prices in the market of affected areas.
He said: “Prices of commodities in the market will be negatively affected because the shorter the supply the higher the price, which we don’t want a situation where food will be brought into the country because Nigerians don’t want to hear that because if supply is less than demand then the prices will continue to go high and that will continue to affect salary earners and we cannot avoid that.”
What appears to be the way forward as already canvassed by many which government has not given serious attention to is the issue of ranching. Cattle farmers can even form themselves into cooperatives to set up a ranch. That remains the best and permanent way forward. A target date can be set by government to achieve this and not for government to join force with a particular business community, in this case cattle herdsmen and foist their wishes on hundreds of millions of other citizens. It shouldn’t also be a measure that takes over territories and lands of other people under any guise. If the government adopts ranching as practiced in developed and other civilized societies, it will even provide employment for more people. It will boost the dairy industry in Nigeria and government can effectively and efficiently collect their taxes for overall societal development.
But it does seem that those saddled with the responsibility of securing lives and property of Nigerians are interested parties in the matter as they have been accused by many to be complicit in the killings. President MuhammaduBuhari recently queried the Inspector General of Police for not obeying his order to relocate to Benue in the heat of the mass killings, which has thrown up over 10,000 IDPs in the state. The same Police boss told Nigerians that he couldn’t arrest the mass killings unless states that introduced anti-grazing laws abrogated such laws.
If that is the argument of the Inspector General of police, Edo State is not among the states that introduced anti-grazing law in Nigeria. Why then is he not mustering the will to arrest the killings by herdsmen in the state? This goes to show that there seems to be more to what is going on than meets the ordinary eyes.
Also, the Minister of Defense, Dan Ali told Nigerians at the end of a security meeting that the Anti-grazing laws passed by some of the states was responsible for the massacre of Nigerians by the herdsmen. He spoke, again in ways and manner that suggest that something was fishing. The Minister of Interior also speaks in the same way and manner and they have not at any forum shown that the killings by the herdsmen were a violation of the laws of the land.
Now, when the Benue people were being slaughtered, some citizens who noticed what complacency of those who should halt the killings went to the streets protesting. The police went and chased them out of the streets. But when the herdsmen who operate under the aegis of Maiyetti Allah movement spread across the country went into the streets of Benue and Taraba protesting the inclusion of the Governors of Benue and Taraba States in the committee. The police did not chase the protesting herdsmen away. They had a field day protesting all around Benue and everyone could see them. What does that signal to the rest of Benue people?
Addressing these security challenges means government must show strong political will to deal with whosoever involved in the killings to serve as deterrent to others who want to go into such heinous crimes.
It is important to note that Cattle herdsmen have been operating in the country for a very long time without the sort of killings they are perpetrating. They lived amongst other Nigerians even in the south who openly received them and treated them as citizens of the country wherever they go. They were not destroying farms and economic crops and people didn’t really care when they moved about with their cattle. A situation where life of the cattle is being placed over and above human life is unacceptable and condemnable.
Herdsmen wielding sophisticated weapons which is contrary to the provisions of the Criminal Act in Nigeria is an aberration, which must be addressed. In like manner, farmers wielding any guns at all must be disarmed. This is the crux of the matter, which Nigerians expect the federal government to address.
Given the seeming complacency of the leadership of security operatives in the country to curtail the problem of insecurity, President MuhammaduBuhari owes Nigerians a duty of taking decisive steps to change them because by nature of their jobs, they ought to be apolitical and more patriotic than they have been.
Mr. Dan Owegie is a Chieftain of Edo the All Progressives Congress, Edo State
