Those Herdsmen in the Community Bush, Very Dangerous
By Michael Oba-Joseph
Boko Haram insurgents in parts of the North was what gave former president Goodluck Jonathan headache in 2009 till he left in 2015. While Boko Haram is still ravaging some Northern States, similar attacks continue to occur in Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt. In the Niger Delta, it is more of how to rescue the villagers from the hands of herdsmen who attack people in their farmlands or rescue them from kidnappers. The situation has become a migraine in most villages in the South South and the South East and further spreading.
On August 7th this year, women of Ohonsu blocked the Benin-Ore federal highway at RCC junction, Ohonsu, Edo state over the killing of two women by alleged Fulani herdsmen. It took the intervention of the Police Area Commander, the Civil Defence and so on to appeal to the aggrieved women who blocked the Benin-Ore road for over four hours. Earlier, students of Delta State University went on protest over what is described as the killing of indigenes by people described as herdsmen. Also, in Ughelli and Agbarho both in Delta State, women went on protest over the insecurity of their children who were abducted by people who pretend to be pushing trucks or buyers of condemned iron or household items.
In another viral video, Fulani herdsmen were seen in the South South with their cows eating cassava in a farmland and when the farmer got there and saw the damage to her farm, she could not withhold her tears. In the process of her shouting and wailing, she was shot dead. In revenge, the community chased all the people perceived to be Hausa/Fulani herdsmen from the village.
Investigations show that almost all the villages including forests in the South South, South West and South East have herdsmen dwelling in them. Sources say they come under the cover of tending for their flocks but in actual fact, they sneaked into many villages in the cover of the night as hunters, motorcycle or Keke riders, shoe menders and so on but their intention is actually to carry out onslaughts on the villagers when they consider it necessary to do so. In Kaduna alone over 1000 people have been killed by herdsmen, same with Benue state. Though there is no statistics of those killed in Southern Nigeria but their actions have devastating effects on rural villages. For instance the Owo killings in Ondo state. Also the residents of Port-Avwon, a village in Uwheru Kingdom in Ughelli North Local Council of Delta State, have been attacked by herdsmen including Ughelli, Abraka, Eku, Mosogar and so on. The story is not different in Ekpoma, Auchi both in Edo state.
Meanwhile, a source told the magazine reporter that most of the herdsmen found in Nigeria’s villages enter the country through Niger, Chad and in Cameroon. Some enter via kerawa in Borno from kerawa of Cameroon using a river that divide both border towns .
The ECOWAS protocol allows free entry and stay in any ECOWAS member country Visa for a period of 90 days. Those with inside knowledge say this has hampered the effort to check the influx of people from neighboring ECOWAS countries especially those border countries to Nigeria like Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Republic of Benin
With over 1,400 illegal borders that exist in Nigeria, security of the borders by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS is difficult because of its inadequate manpower. Even then a security expert told the Reporter that Nigeria’s neighbors are weaker in terms of the fight against terrorism. He noted that fighting terrorism requires so much in terms of intelligence and technological advancement which Nigeria’s neighbors do not really have. A factor he noted make collaboration difficult. For this reason, he said Nigeria needs to have Counter Terrorism Unit CTU, that will be located in every local government area in Nigeria and report directly to the Inspector General of Police to the Presidency under the National Security Adviser. He equally advocated for procurement of advanced relevant technologies including drones that can detect terrorism activities. This he says will help to frustrate the activities of tourist in the villages, bushes, forests and deserts.
Furthermore, he warned that traditional rulers who sell lands to people for farms and other agricultural purposes should be mindful of terrorists who come in different shades and put measures in place on how to prevent attacks from either terrorists or neighbors instead of getting more interested in monetary gains by giving community land to total strangers.
Meanwhile, in the face of increasing terrorism across the country, another security expert who did not want his name mentioned said security is the responsibility of everybody as such people should be made to be aware of this responsibility. However, both the Local Government Chairmen of the 774 LGAs and the 36 State Governors collect monthly security votes, the question is what do they do with the votes if they can not ensure the adequate protection of their territories against incessant attacks by herdsmen on one hand and against terrorist group on the other hand.
As at Press time some Boko Haram terrorists met their waterloo in Kareto in Borno State when a failed Improvised Explosive Device, IED ambush on operation Hadin Kia troops of 145 Battalion Damasak from sector 3. The terrorist detoriated the IED leading to the neutralisation of scores of the insurgents where they recovered one AKT automatic anti-aircraft machine gun, one AK-47 rifle, four AK-47 rifle magazines, two +36 hand grenades and large quantity of 7.62 ammunition.
Herdsmen are currently regarded as the fourth most dangerous groups in the world. There are speculations that a certain Federal Minister has allegedly offered a certain amount of money to cattle breeders for them to stop kidnapping, killings and insecurity as the spread of insecurity is becoming very embarrassing. But this allegation could not be proven as at press time.