FULANI HERDSMEN AND THE FOREST HIGHWAYS

THE Fulani herdsmen and their lifestyle are particularly intriguing and fascinating. Apart from the Igbo, the Fulani herdsmen are the most travelled of the other tribes. Originally, they were simple and selfless, not greedy, strong and untiring, not violent, their only red line was the protection of their herds, in fact, largely unarmed with only staves and knives for domestic use. The Fulani herdsmen and the host communities in those days were natural allies. Whereas the host communities dwelt in cities or rural areas, the Fulani herdsmen dwelt in forests and bushes; indeed they were the forest masters. So skillful were they in the management of their forest life that they earned the admiration of the host communities in Nigeria. As expected, just as it happened in all other existing relationships of mankind, even in the ancient days, there was bound to be clashes between the Fulani herdsmen and their host communities. Some herds, cows and sheep, stray into lands with ripe or unripe, but unharvested crops and eat them up without the authority of the farm owners. Some farm owners can harm some herds which make such unauthorised foray into their lands. But the beautiful thing in those days was that the herdsmen and crop farmers had traditional ways of peacefully resolving those conflicts among them. The traditional arbitrators simply determined the amount of damages to be paid by the offending party and that was it. No blood was ever lost or even contemplated to be lost as a method of resolving any crisis. The question is what has gone wrong today?
Sometime in September 9, 2001, some group of 16 youngmen hijacked 4 US planes and in daring terrorist attacks brought down the twin world trade centres, damaged the Penta- gon and attempted attacking the White House. President George Bush called them terrorists. He refused to attach any ethnic and religious colouration to their action. This is in spite the fact that they belonged to one religion and were predominantly from one ethnic group. This strategy helped him isolate the terrorists and enlist the support of the Arabs and Muslims in America and abroad in the fight against terrorism. This was the birth of modern-day terrorism. Those terrorists were part of Al Qaeda based in Afghanistan, which had no government that controlled the whole country. In other words terrorists operate better and freer in empty spaces without governmental presence or where there is anarchy or friendly dictatorship.
This modern version of terrorism became known and popularized in Nigeria around 2009, when a group emerged in Borno State and proclaimed that western education was an abomination. They were nicknamed Boko Haram in line with their ideology. Initially, they un-
leashed unprecedented violence on their fellow Muslims who subscribed to western education. They were roundly defeated with their leader killed because Nigeria rose up with one voice and attacked them. This was possible because they were given a name in line with their ideology, devoid of any ethnicity or religion, despite the fact that they were all predominantly from one religion and section of the country. We must continue this trend of not criminalizing ethnicity and religion, even if the perpetrators are all from one ethnic stock, to protect the integrity of the innocent ones among them. Criminal re- sponsibility is personal.
When the terrorists saw that they failed to instigate anarchy and were roundly defeated, they headed into the forests of the Northeast in Nigeria and took over the forest highways with their capital in Sambisa. The forest welcomed a new host and with their superior firearms and training, it was easy for them to overthrow the original forest masters, the Fulani herdsmen. They became the new forest masters and their first victims were the Fulani herdsmen and their herds. That was why they manifested first and foremost as cattle rustlers. They killed the herdsmen and stole their cattle to feed their fighters in the forest and sell the rest to enable them raise money to buy weapons. As with other vices in life, if not checked, suffer metastasis. From their forest hideouts, they started planning on how to instigate anarchy so they can take over territories. By the time the regime of President Goodluck Jonathan knew it, more than 14 LGAs were already in their kitty with their flags hoisted in those conquered territories.
The regime of President Buhari came in with a promise to wipe them out. The regime dislodged the terrorists even in Sambisa. Hav- ing been dislodged in Sambisa forest, the terrorists scattered and built splinter units along the forest highways and started restrategising. As they move towards South, through the for- est highways, they change in character and
strategy to achieve their objectives of terrorism. They identified traditional trouble hot spots in the country and moved to- wards such places to operate. Such places like Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Benue, became easy targets as there have been traditional mutual suspicion among
the communities and their Fulani neighbours. In such cities, they manifest as saviours to the herdsmen against the purported onslaught of the communities. They start the manipulation of the parties by rustling the cattle of the herdsmen and convincing the herdsmen that this is the handiwork of the host communities and they are willing to help. The unsuspecting herdsmen will in turn provide intelligence for them and even encourage their young children to assist them in the process. They use the ploy to indoctrinate the younger herdsmen and co-opt them into their terrorist gang. When they have perfected their plans, they will unleash a coordinated, unprovoked, guerilla-warfare- style attacks on the host communities, raping and killing women and children, slaughtering the men, stealing everything they can steal. The host communities will wake up to their consternation to see the level of destruction on their communities. Of course, their first suspects will be the Fulani herdsmen. Unknown to them, it is the work of the terrorists operating under the cover of herdsmen. They will revenge by killing the innocent, defenceless herdsmen and their cows thereby confirming to the herdsmen that they need the services of the terrorists for protection. The cycle of violence continues until there is complete breakdown of law and order, while the terrorists continue with their
the South, through the forest highways, they simply mix up with the traditional criminal elements, militants and cultists and launch kidnapping and armed robbery operations to loot the resources of the people. They provide the criminals with sophisticated weapons. That’s why whether you call them terrorists, bandits, cultists, kidnappers, armed robbers or rapists in the Northwest, Northeast, North-central, Southwest, Southeast or South-south states of Nigeria, the forest has become their meeting point. They are all propelled by terrorists who
go under the cover of Fulani herdsmen to un- leash mayhem on the society through the forest highways.
It’s important for the Fulani leaders to come to terms with some germane points. The people who are dominating the forests today in Nige- ria are no longer their innocent kinsmen whose preoccupation was the safety of their herds. They are now hardened criminals and terror- ists whose preoccupation is the destruction of the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians for their selfish ends. They are populated by foreigners who have no sentimental attachment to any- thing Nigeria. President Buhari was very clear on this point from the security reports available to him that they are foreigners that descended to Nigeria from the remnants of anarchists born from the uncoordinated fall of the regime of Muamar Ghadaffi of Libya. Governor Sule of Nasarawa State publicly declared that Boko Haram has invaded his state and are camping in the forest areas bordering Benue State, which has been wailing for long owing to the activities of these merciless terrorists. Northwest and Niger States’ forest highways are inhabited with terrorists who have paid allegiance to Boko Haram leaders. Same stories are told in the Southern states.
The danger is that terrorists will eventually go back to their places of origin to operate because they cannot operate freely in territories where they cannot fit into the cultural lifestyle of the indigenous population. They will eventually be flushed out from such areas because they are easily identifiable and will return to their lands. When the terrorists were flushed out of America and Afghanistan, they went back to Arab states and started destabilising Arab countries. Hear the words of an elderly Fulani herdsman community leader during the crisis between the “Fu- lani herdsmen” and their host communities in Ayamelum, Anambra State. He lamented: “The new generation of Fulani herdsmen are not as civilized and tamed as the ones that came in previous years. We the leaders cannot talk them out of killings without being killed ourselves. The influence of illicit drugs has changed the dynamics. During our time when we first arrived Ayamelum, we enjoyed cordial relationship with the natives, now it is different.” The Fu- lani leaders should imagine the consequences to their land if all the terrorists causing mayhem in Nigeria come back to Fulani land to continue their terrorist acts. It is already happening because the Sultan of Sokoto raised the alarm that the North is the worst place to be with regards to security as bandits openly parade public places