Following series of eviction threats against Fulani herders in the Southern part of the country, the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) confirmed threats of retaliation by youths in many States in the North, expressing concern over the tension generated by the eviction orders.
Saying that the development was heating the already fragile security atmosphere in all parts of the country, the Northern governors, however, said they were working assiduously to contain the threat that generated tension in the North but needed the support and commitment of their colleagues in the South.
The Governors stated in a virtual emergency meeting presided over by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, “called on all the citizens of Northern extraction to continue to live in peace with all Nigerians irrespective of their origins and backgrounds.”
According to the communiqué released on Tuesday night, “the Northern Governors said there was an urgent need for all the 36 State Governors to meet under the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and discuss the issue holistically with a view to resolving all areas of misunderstanding and conflicts arising from these threats and suspicion for the sake of national unity. The Northern Governors called for restraint from leaders, including those from the southern parts of the country where passions were high.”
The communiqué called on “political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as criminals. The Forum reiterates that it condemns every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally.”
It noted with concern the tension generated by the eviction order issued to herdsmen in some parts of the country. This is heating the already fragile security atmosphere with threats of reprisals, which the northern governors are working assiduously to contain.”
The 19 Northern Governors noted that the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing was no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanisation and population, adding that they will aggressively sensitise herdsmen on the need to adopt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods.
The Governors, therefore, appealed to the federal government to support States with grants to directly undertake pilot projects of modern livestock production that will serve as springboard and evidence for breaking resistance to the full implementation of new methods of livestock production.
They urged political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as criminals, and reiterated that they condemn every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally.
A resolution was also reached to engage elders and youths in a robust discussion in order to douse the tensed security environment in the North and a four-man committee was set up in that respect to be headed by the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum.
The Forum said its committee reports were at various stages of completion and resolved that all the reports should be turned in before the next meeting scheduled for the end of February in Kaduna where they will be deliberated upon.
Meanwhile, renowned Islamic scholar, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, has replied Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and other critics of his mediation moves aimed at convincing criminal herdsmen to drop their guns and repent.
Sheik Gumi said in a telephone interview that many herders took up arms because of years of injustice including killing them and their cattle, extortion and burning their homes by security operatives.
Governor El-Rufai had on Monday faulted the scholar’s mediation strategy with herders and bandits in states across the North West, insisting it was wrong to negotiate with them.
Gumi said he had seen enormous success from his interactions with the herders saying having gone deep into the forests in Zamfara State, the herders had assured him that they were willing to put down their arms as long as the state was willing and ready to accept and protect them.
“They were victims of violence so they took arms to protect themselves. Wherever they are as cattle herders, they face problems with farmers; we saw what happened in Oyo, how their homes and cattle were burnt. These people live in huts while those killing them and destroying their homes live a better life,” he said.
He said while it is wrong to attack and kill innocent people, it was also wrong to burn people’s properties and profile them as criminals.
“I am not talking about the criminals among them; there are criminals among them just like there are criminals, armed robbers, kidnappers among Yoruba and there are also robbers and kidnappers among the Igbo. We cannot hide the criminals among the herdsmen and condemn every herdsman. This is all we are saying.”
Reacting to El-Rufai’s statement that nobody offended the herdsmen and therefore they do not deserve compensation, Dr Gumi said: “Nobody said criminals should be compensated but 90 per cent of the herdsmen are victims of military violence. They lost their parents, they lost their cattle and houses because of military activities and so they should be compensated.”
He said the fact that the bandits were ignorant of religion doesn’t mean they should be eliminated as El-Rufai suggested.
“It doesn’t mean that just because somebody is ignorant of religion you should kill him. Teach him religion. What is the difference between you and the Boko Haram ideology, which calls people infidels and therefore they kill them? The herders are living in abject poverty, neglected, marginalised. Instead of buying fighter jets, why can’t you use the money to build schools, roads and hospitals for them? You have to give people their rights before you think of killing them,” he said.
Dr Gumi who started his sensitisation campaign in January has so far visited parts of Kaduna, Zamfara and Sokoto states.
“Zamfara State invited me to assist them. In Kaduna, I tried building schools for them from my pocket, the government is not assisting. But here (Zamfara) they invited us to come and assist them; so how do you expect us to stay where we are not assisted?”
He said his strategy to educate the herders on Islamic education had commenced with the distribution of books, adding that the herders had shown willingness to live a positive life.
“We cannot abandon them. I have a picture of some little girls that are drinking water from the same stream with animals. They have no social amenities; no hospitals and we are here talking.”
First published in Daily Trust, https://dailytrust.com/quit-order-to-herders-northern-governors-confirm-reprisal-threats