Killer herdsmen and Nigeria’s existence

As I was going through my Facebook page, I came across a forum post, part of which read; “No Yoruba life should be lost without killing 10 Fulani in place”. I was seriously disturbed and that prompted me to write this article.

I believe that I am very far from committing a fallacy of hasty generalisation or irrelevant conclusion if I say that a vast majority of Fulani herdsmen have now taken the killing of farmers as a hobby. They are killing fellow human beings in order to cater for their own cattle.

 First, it is good to inform those who are oblivious of the activities of the Fulani herdsmen in recent times and refresh the memory of those who already know. On Tuesday, April 20, 2016, Fulani herdsmen attacked five communities in the Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State. On Monday, April 25, 2016, armed Fulani herdsmen attacked Ukpabi Nimbo community of Enugu State killing over 50 people mostly farmers. These Fulani herdsmen have equally carried out serious attacks on communities in Osun, Ondo, Nasarawa, Benue just to mention but few.

Why should Fulani herdsmen kill their fellow countrymen? Why should they deprive a human being his own life in order to give life to cattle? Are cattle more important than human beings? Why are these herdsmen destroying what others have developed with time, money and energy? Why should they demolish what has been built for months or even years within the twinkle of an eye?

These Fulani herdsmen are frustrating other people’s comfort in order to create comfort for themselves. I can’t measure the magnitude of frustration that will be felt by a farmer who has worked tirelessly on his farm under the scorching sun for months or years just to get to the same farm and see that the crops he is looking forward to harvesting and selling in order to earn a living have been destroyed by the people who sought refuge in his own land. With what is currently happening in the nation, the frustrated farmer has two options; to either accept his fate or challenge the unfortunate farm destroyer and get killed.

I know that this is the kind of frustration that prompted the declaration of the online forum that “for every Yoruba life lost, 10 Fulani must be killed”. This is possible because it’s known that no one has a monopoly of violence. But, such an act is irresponsible, ridiculous, catastrophic and immoral. It defies the principle of common sense and propagates the division of our nation. It will only worsen the problem at hand; it will not in any way bring it close to an end. Therefore, the declaration of the Facebook forum is not an option for us as Yoruba sons and daughters and patriotic Nigerians.

We believe that stabbing the head is not the cure to headache. If we should do what the Facebook forum post preaches, we would have only succeeded in adding salt to our injury. That will obviously, lead to ethnic war and Nigeria will be on the brink of becoming a nation that once existed. This is not what we want as a people; so, how do we solve this problem?

First, we should let it sink in our mind that government has a vital role to play in solving a national problem that threatens the country’s existence. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to keep quiet on this issue. I don’t want to believe that the President is trying to prove those who have accused him of swimming in the pool of ethnic bigotry right because I don’t believe that the President kept quiet because he is also a Fulani.

But, whatever the case, I need to remind the President of his own words; “I belong to everybody, I belong to nobody”. The President should prove to us now that he is truly a man of his own words. No killer-Fulani herdsman should be allowed to go scot-free. Just as President Buhari has declared war on corruption, he should also come out and declare war on any Fulani that kills his fellow countrymen. The President should break his silence on an issue which, if not handled properly, can give Nigeria an extinct status.

Another solution that can complement the President’s declaration of war on the wicked and murderous Fulani herdsmen is education. I believe that most of the herdsmen killing people and destroying property are illiterates who cannot think in a rational and commonsensical way. They should be educated and enlightened.

Meanwhile, I share no faith in the beliefs of some people that establishing grazing areas in all parts of the nation will solve the problem. Why?

One, we should know that the Fulani herdsmen are not only killing people because they want to get food for their cattle. The killing of over 50 people and destruction of property worth millions of naira in Enugu is a testimony to this. What has the killing of 50 people got to do with the feeding of cattle?

Two, such an idea can worsen the problem at hand. Owners of land are the ones to decide what they want to use their land for. Some herdsmen cannot just leave their own land, move to other people’s land and seize it for their own use.

Finally, the Federal Government should do something about these attacks now so that the herdsmen would not have killed all us before Buhari finishes killing corruption.