A few days ago, Nigerians woke up to a grueling and sickening news. No fewer than 300 hundred people have been killed in Agatu local government of benue state by fulani herdsmen. This is not the first of its kind, a lot similar to this has happened in the past. Fulani herdsmen have attacked and killed villagers in every region of Nigeria, and it has been going on for quite some time now. According to 'global terrorism index" report published in 2015, Fulani herdsmen are now the fourth deadliest terrorist sect in the world. But each time they carry out an attack in Nigeria, the government is quick to label it "a clash between herdsmen and farmers". This is simply a euphemism to cover up the rather ugly truth.
We are dealing with armed terrorists. The boldness with which these attacks are carried out, and the reluctance of the federal government to wade in and take decisive action is really suspicious. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, neither I'm i a religious or tribal bigot. I'm neither pro APC nor Pro PDP. But certain facts must be clearly stated as they are, using the Agatu crisis as a case study. I implore you to read without bias.

The Agatu people have always had run ins with the herdsmen, lives have been lost in the process. There had been incidences of people getting killed in the bush, women being raped by the herdsmen. However, certain facts need to stand out this time

Fact 1. The state governor and police had not made any investigation or arrests. Their best effort was to call a peace meeting between the villagers and the herdsmen. The police assured the Agatu people that the Federal government had waded in, and their dispute had been resolved. But this was actually a lie, only meant to pacify the Agatu people.
Compare. In the year 2000, a small group of Fulani herdsmen had a run in with local farmers in Ondo state. There was bloodshed in the process. Buhari led an emissary to the governor, to condemn the killing.

Fact 2. Fulani herdsmen armed with military grade weapons attacked Agatu local government again. The media has put the death toll at 300, with 7000 people displaced. A village was burnt to the ground. This wasn't a hit and run, according to the police commisioner, about 5000 cows guided by heavily armed herdsmen still occupy the villages.

Fact 3. The Benue state governor proceeded to donate relief materials to the 'refugees' , while their village is still under Occupation by the herdsmen. No attempt has been made to launch a military offensive to reclaim the village.
Compare. There is a whole battalion in Gbaramatu Kingdom searching for Tompolo.

Fact 4. It took 48 hours for the presidency to issue a statement condemning the massacre. The statement was as follows
“We will conduct an investigation to know exactly what happened; the only way to bring an end to the violence once and for all is to look beyond one incident and ascertain exactly what factors are behind the conflicts,” he said.
“We are all one nation and one people,” he said. “There should not be any reason why Nigerians of any group or tongue cannot now reside with one another wherever they find themselves after decades of living together.”
The President further expressed condolences to the government and people of Benue State, particularly the people of the Agatu communities, assuring them that the government would do everything possible to ensure that no such incident ever occurred in their midst again.
“Once the investigations are concluded, we will act immediately to address the root of the problem,”


Now, dissecting the presidency's statement leaves a disturbing reality. It should be noted that
1) the president is waiting for the report from a yet to be commenced investigation before he acts.
2) He made mention of 'ending violence' but said nothing about arresting and prosecuting those responsible for the massacre. i.e the Fulani herdsmen.
3) After sympathising with the Agatu people, he said nothing about helping them reclaim their land or resettling them Remember the herdsmen are still very much present in the communities.
4)Buhari has a strong influence over the Fulanis. He did not expressly condemn their actions, neither did he implore them to vacate the land that they now forcefully inhabit. Infact, he did not mention the phrase 'Fulani herdsmen'


In view of the above, one begins to wonder if there is a greater agenda to all these. Remember how boko haram started? Small pockets of killing gradually escalated into full scale terrorism. This would be worse. Boko haram is only limited to the northeast, so for every other Nigerian, life goes on. But the fulani herdsmen have migrated to every region in Nigeria, and there have been pockets of attacks, killings, rape and robbery. The Scarry part of it is that they are now moving about with military grade weapons, and no one is stopping them. As a Nigerian, soldiers would beat me up and strip me naked for wearing military camouflage, but the fulanis walk about with AK47 strapped to their sides. Has someone ordered that they must not be disturbed? Who is arming these savages? Why are they being armed? What are they preparing for?.


President Buhari allegedly set up a committee to perfect plans to create grazing routes around the country to forestall further clashes between farmers and herdsmen. Plausible as this may look on the outside, it has led to further suspicion. Aside from killing farmers, these herdsmen also engage in routine highway robbery (i have been a victim), rape and other heinous crimes. Tell me, is this asva result of dispute over farmland?. Establishing grazing routes in a state would mean ceding a large portion of land to the herdsmen. They would become legal owners or residents of the land. The community that owns the land would be "locked in" as it were, as the ceded land would not be available for their development as they expand. Do you want that in your community? However, the most scary part of this plan is having the 4th deadliest terrorist sect in the world as neighbors!. Do you want gun wielding savages as neighbors? Who is to say they would not ambitiously step outside their grazing routes to encroach on the communities? They are already doing it, it is their way of life. Is the agenda to have a Fulani base in every state of the Federation? To surround us and box us in pending an attack? Is there a grand plan for a hostile take over? Or is someone trying to fulfill the dream of Ahmadu Bello?


If the herdsmen are not brought to book, i smell an ethnic genocide in the offing. The attacks in the south will reach a point where there will be conscious effort to exterminate the Fulanis from the south. We do not want a war, but if they bring it, we would have no choice but to meet terror with terror. The Fulani insurgency though in its early stages is already producing internally displaced persons, it is an arm conflict already. If they succeed with one local government, they will move to the next, and the next, then to another state.

The government can call it a 'clash between farmers and herdsmen' if it likes, but the truth is Nigeria is under attack.
The only difference between Fulani herdsmen and Boko haram is the definition the government has given them. I repeat, Nigeria under attack.

Dicefrost

really, accidents of geography

hmm

This is the absolute truth, a reality that we are still scared of addressing and raising all kinds of alarm over. Stakeholders still keep pussyfooting while evil is being perpetrated.