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For many years now the so-called Fulani herdsmen have terrorized almost every Christian community in the North, especially in the Middle belt. They have also made significant incursions into some Southern communities.
Most recently, the communities in Southern Kaduna are bearing the brunt of the herdsmen’s wrath. They have proffered many and varied reasons for their exploits, ranging from reprisals for cattle rustling, for 2011 post election violence, clashes with farmers, etc. With these reasons they kill in the most gruesome manner, rape women, burn villages and loot foodstuffs.
From our observations however, there are other reasons for the genocide.
- The quest for lush grass land for grazing purposes is a major reason. Everywhere the herdsmen have succeeded to sack whole settlements, whether in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa or Southern Kaduna, they have often moved in and taken over the land. This is very much the case because of the advancing Sahara desert that has rendered many far northern states unaccommodating for their pastures.
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Related to the point above is the fact that the communities being attacked had resisted Federal/state governments’ attempts to colonize farmlands from the communities for grazing reserves/ranches for nomadic purposes. It is then evidential that President Mohammadu Buhari and Gov El Rufai of Kaduna state, both of whom are also Fulani, decided to arm their brothers to forcefully takeover the grazing lands since the communities refused to give them out peacefully! When hearing in the case of genocide against them already before the World court, comes up there will be overwhelming evidence to prove this point!
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From what prominent Muslim leaders themselves have claimed, there are foreign mercenaries fighting along side the local Fulani herdsmen. This in effect means that Boko Haram have joined forces with local Fulanis to terrorize Christian communities in the Middle belt. The sophisticated weaponry and the professional expertise engaged in carrying out the attacks attest to this fact! At various peace dialogue meetings between farmers and local Fulanis, this point has also featured prominently. The Fulani representatives in such meetings have often claimed that they are not the ones killing the farmers but foreign mercenaries. So we have Boko Haram to contend with not just local Fulani herdsmen!
- It is part of the global jihad movement to subdue all other religions to give rise to world domination of Islam. The unexpected defeat of Obama and his Democratic Party in America has begun to open up a can of worms around the world! The role of Obama and his administration in sponsoring radical Islam, like ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, etc. will fully come to light when President Trump take over office on January 20, about a fortnight from today. (The mastery of Sambisa forest with white men in it will be unearthed!).
In the light of the above, what do we do? All hands must be on deck to weather the storm. Our legal pundits should go ahead to press for justice at the International court of justice. Those of us who can pray should double up their efforts. Those who can form vigilante groups to provide physical fronts to contend the assault should go ahead. Our traditional rulers must start meeting to form cross border communal efforts.
Finally, there is an issue we should critically look into which will make or mar all our efforts. What do we do with the local Fulanis in our midst? In the middle of the Fulani killings one can still see local Fulanis grazing their cattle freely in our villages and their men and women patronizing our markets openly.
The local Fulanis have always claimed they are not the ones killing us but their foreign brothers. Are we to believe this? Even if it is always true they aren’t involved does it not matter that they are moving freely among us? Are they not the beneficiaries of the killings?
Is it the foreign or the local Fulanis that have taken over the villages that have been sacked? Is there a valid basis to differentiate between the foreign and the local Fulanis? After a snake bite does it matter if the snake in the vicinity is or not the one who stroke?
All I am suggesting here is that our romance with the so-called innocent local Fulanis may be our greatest undoing in this unfolding melodrama! During this Christmas celebration season a man in a neighboring village to mine went to harvest his crops with his daughter. There a local Fulani man grazing near his farm. The man warned the Fulani man to be careful not to allow his cows into his farm. The Fulani man got angry and attacked the farmer. The man’s daughter run away when serious fight ensued between her dad and the Fulani man. She alerted the villagers about the incident in the farm. The villagers immediately mobilized themselves to go rescue their son from the Fulani man. When they got to the farm, the Fulani man had not only killed the man but butchered him in pieces! The Fulani man was no where in sight!
That’s how innocent local Fulani men are! I don’t think we should kill or drive away all local Fulanis from our villages but they must be made to understand that all of them will be held responsible for the murder of any one in any of our communities. Or what do you think?
By Rev. Danjuma Byang
Rev Danjuma Byang has done a powerful work here