Encore
Last week, we started beaming our searchlight on the above vexed issue. Today, we will continue and conclude same; thereafter, we will consider other pressing national issues in the country.
Trail of blood, sorrow and death
In April 2016, 40 persons were brutally hacked down in Nimbo, Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu State, by over 500 heavily-armed Fulani herdsmen that vanquished other villages that included Ngowko, Ekwuru, Ebor, Umuome, Ugwuijoro and Ugwuachara. Houses, including Christ Holy Church International (aka Odozi Obodo), vehicles, motorcycles and domestic animals were killed and destroyed in most horrific circumstances. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi wept for his people.
The story was the same in Godogodo and Dogan Daji villages in Kaduna State.
Carrying sophisticated weapons such as expensive, modern-day AK-47 rifles, some herders of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association attacked, in the most grisly and hideous manner, towns and villages in Benue State, such as in Guma, Logo, two LGAs that were literally razed, with many indigenes killed. Two years ago, 10 Agatu communities were razed down by the herdsmen, with hundreds of indigenes, including women, children and the elderly, massacred in cold blood.
Only last month, residents of Dowaya, Numan, Demsa LGA, Shafaran, Shawal, were horrendously mowed down in their homes. There is a reign of terror by this new scourge that has since overtaken Boko Haram in murderous and deadly outings.
In Niger State, Sabondaga community of about 20,000 people was sacked as the farming villagers ran away from their ancestral home from herdsmen invaders.
In Alor and Oraukwu communities in Idemili LGA of Anambra State, fully-armed herdsmen attacked and killed indigenes in 2016. The same fate befell the people of Ugbene, Ugbenu and Achalla communities in Awka LGA between 2016 and 2017.
The people of Nekede and Ihiagwa communities in Imo State suffered the same brutal fate in May 2016, in the hands of these marauders being publicly protected by the federal government. In Taraba State, February 2016 witnessed the death toll in Zando, Ibi, Wusen, Tungan, Gishrin Hasan and Gborucha villages in Wukari LGA. In Kaduna, herdsmen again sacked four villages in Chawai Chiefdom in Kaura LGA. From Jangaru community of Awe LGA in Nasarawa State to Orhua, Oke, Unokpe and Ekpan communities in Uhunmwode LGA and Okpella and Uzairue communities of Edo State, to Umunor community, Ndokwa East LGA, Onicha-Ukwani in Ndokwa West, Ovie Okpare, Warri, Igbodo, whose king was brutally murdered, all in Delta State, the horrendous story is the same.
Welcome, Mbiabong Ito, Odukpani LGA, Cross River State. Sorry, sir, respected Elder Statesman, Chief Olu Falae, whose farm was sacked with him abducted by these terrorists. Borno, Kogi, Kwara, Kano, Gombe, Plateau states have had their fair share of these murderous itinerants.
As we speak, the trail of blood, innocent blood, spreads across and bespatters Nigeria. Chief Olu Falae, who had earlier been abducted in his farm and paid ransom to the herders for his release, has now suffered his entire farm burnt down.
The metamorphosis from cattle routes to colonization
There has been a gradual metamorphosis and transfiguration of daring cattle rearers, with the active, or at least tacit, support and connivance of the federal government, in plying cattle routes, to discussion about cattle reserves, to cattle ranches, to the new obnoxious and all-conquering concept of cattle colony. Does this government appreciate at all the odious and insulting meaning of the word “colony” to peoples of the other about 368 ethnic groups in Nigeria (Sociologist, Prof Onigu Otite), that speak over 350 languages?
Let me gratuitously educate the government that appears incapable of grappling with basic tenets of democratic and civil nuances and predilections. “Colony” means a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country. It connotes dominion, protectorate, outpost, holding, possession, territory and dependency. What “colony” suggests is that Buhari’s 21st century government is attempting to conquer Nigerian states (as federating units), including their linguistic, religious, ethnic and cultural identity and pluralism, in one fell swoop of imposing another ethnic group on them. Does he not realise the combustible and implosive danger inherent in this neo-colonialism, as the new army of occupation, using the smokescreen of cattle rearing, will soon begin to assert their independence from the indigenous host community, change their ways of life and create their fiefdoms and even emirates?
Gradually but steadily and inexorably, Nigeria is being carefully prodded by President Buhari, who had, in 2000, stormed Ibadan Government House to accuse the then Governor, Lam Adesina, of allowing indigenes to kill “my people” (Fulani herdsmen). Of course, trust Lam. He gave it back to him in unmistakable terms, with the President and his large entourage, greatly embarrassed and shocked by the true facts unearthed, departing without even eating the already prepared food.
His Excellency is choreographically prodding Nigeria from cattle routes, to cattle reserves, to cattle ranches, to cattle colony, and of course, to cattle settlement. This is nothing short of modern-day imperialism and bare-faced neo-colonialism. This new agenda will shackle and manacle indigenes in their ancestral homes, conquer them, seize their lands and change their religious beliefs, customs, cultures and ways of life.
Will Mr. President also carve out special “piggery colonies” from the North for piggery farmers, notwithstanding Muslims do not eat pork meat? Will he also carve out special designated trading colonies for Ndigbo, who are highly versed in commerce, industry and trading, in the northern states, to have free shopping malls, stores and shops? If we go by this logic of making special provisions for herdsmen who are merely engaged in private enterprise and nothing more, will Mr. President agree to donate large farmland colonies for Yoruba cocoa farmers, irrigate them free of charge, and drive away the indigenes from such specially designated farm colonies? Cannot Mr. President and his coterie of fawning, bootlicking and grovelling advisers and ego balmers, who are urging him to run for a second term at a time massacred Nigerians were being buried in mass graves, see that Nigeria is more divided and divisive under him today? Can’t he see the danger of a possible volcanic implosion from a sleeping magma of ethnic, religious and political schisms? Mr. President, sir, can you kindly salvage Nigeria from this imminent precipice of simulated conflagration? Has Mr. President not been advised that all lands in a state belong to the governor of that state and not the federal government, to hold same in trust for the people of that state and that the federal government has no constitutional, legal or moral right to encroach on any state land, for any reason howsoever? Governors, are you hearing, hearing and hearing me? Do what the enfante terrible, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has just done. Stop weeping and wimping like a baby denied of his candy. Raise your local vigilante group and defend the territorial integrity of your state. Today. Tomorrow may be too late.
IPOB did not do one-tenth of what the herders are doing across Nigeria today before the federal government promptly proscribed it, and deployed fully-armed army to the Umuahia to terrorise the indigenes, including the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and his father. Till date, the exact whereabouts of Kanu is unknown.
Yet, the young man was, like Adaka Boro and Ken Saro Wiwa before him, merely agitating for self-determination as Biafran people, a concept universally recognised as a right under various international instruments, including UDHR, African Charter, European Convention, etc. IPOB was not armed, did not kill. It merely organised its members to protest peacefully on the streets, blowing whistles, marching, wearing berets and mouthing “Republic of Biafra.” They were put down brutally. Yet, when the herders attack and kill people in their communities across Nigeria, the President either sends the Vice President, Osinbajo, to go and make “peace,” or sends the IGP to relocate to such areas! Suddenly, the military, which is really equipped to deal with such murderous uprisings and insurrections is suddenly kept in the barracks. Such palpable double standard and brazen discrimination do not a great President make.
Short takes
Nigerians are quite creative. Even in the midst of hunger and anger, they still crack your ribs with humorous but figurative expressions, innuendoes, parables and proverbs. In one of such, one Nigerian defined “BUHARIOCRACY” as “a government of excuses by excuses with excuses. A good example of this form of government is located in sub-Saharan Africa. Source: Centre For Research On African Democracy.”
One Samuel Ehis Irabor, analysing the significance of cattle colonies vis-à-vis a supposedly conquered and cleared SAMBISA FOREST (since December 2016), posted as follows:
“SAMBISA FOREST: 686 square kilometers. 6.8 million hectares. 68 million plots of 100ft by 100ft. at 5 cows per plot, it can take 340 million cows. 340 million cows is 18 times the current number of cows in Nigeria. They have not told us what exactly they are looking for. But we know.”
To show that our government is really getting it wrong, the Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, only recently, directed his country’s security forces to arrest any herdsmen seen parading cattle on the streets of Ghana and the cattle executed and barbecued by the citizens. He made a veiled insult to and mockery of Nigeria, by saying that Ghana is not Nigeria, where the absurdity of cattle reigning over human beings is prevalent.
More hard & deadly times ahead: the cattle colonies
The Nigerian government has decided to establish cattle colonies in every state of the country. Each colony will be five thousand hectares of land (5,000). This will be for fulani herdsmen. Do you know that:
(1) 1 hectare is a football field.
(2) 10 hectares is one square kilometer.
(3) 100 hectares is 10 square kilometers.
(4) 1,000 hectares is 100 square kilometers, i.e, 100,000m by 100,000m.
And now
(5) 5,000 hectares is 500 square kilometers, i.e, 500,000 m by 500,000m.
This is a stretch of 25 kilometers by 20 kilometers of land mass. This is the kind of land mass they want for the fulani colonies. Imagine parts of the land stretching from Zuba to Gwagwalada to Airport junction to Kuje to AYA towards Nyanya to Bwari and environs.
Thought for the week
“The happiness of society is the end of government.” (John Adams).