Ruga settlements: only fairness, equity can guarantee peace and stability-: HURIWA tells President Buhari:

Following the disclosure of a highly contentious policy by President Muhammadu Buhari to invest public fund to set up ruga farming settlements for herdsmen across 12 states, the government has been asked to opt for fairness, equity and equality of rights for all ethno-religious affiliations as a way to ensure restoration of peace and stability in Nigeria.

HURIWA said government needs to even appreciate the import of the United Nations Vienna Declaration of 1993 which states thus: “all human rights are universal, indivisible, inter-dependent and inter-dependent and "democracy, development and respect for human rights are interdependent and mutually re-enforcing".  The Rights group reminded President Muhammadu Buhari's administration of an outstanding case of unambiguous unfairness and injustice meted out to the largely unarmed Igbo speaking followers of the self-determination group known as Indigenous peoples of Biafra (IPOB) proscribed by the government whereas the hierarchy of Miyetti Allah cattle owners known as MACBAN which actively supports armed Fulani herdsmen is an ally of the Presidency. 

This was the conclusion of a leading civil rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) which also criticized the Federal government over the opaque nature of working out a highly discriminatory settlement policy to benefit only the Fulani speaking ethnicity amidst ballooning poverty, crises of underdevelopment and lack of economic opportunities which afflicts the over 350 ethno-tribal communities that make up Nigeria.

The Rights group says it makes no sense for the Federal government to embark on an adventure of deception and deceits as a way of resolving the growing phenomenon of violence amongst the different ethnicities just as the Rights group expressed doubts on the workability of the one sided panacea of establishment of settlement for Fulani ethnicity whereas the real victims of the widespread blood cuddling herders’ violence – the farming communities all across the country are left to sulk their wounds unsympathetically. "What is goose for the goose is good for the gander. The unequal treatments of equals by the central government under Presidency of the Fulani born Muhammadu Buhari is at the core of the different ramifications of agitations threatening peace, security and stability of our nation state. This fundamental injustice incubated and fertilized inside the Presidential villa and publicized as state policy is intrinsically and inherently unconstitutional". 

“Fairness, equity and equality of rights as clearly provided for in a plethora of constitutional provisions are the sine qua non for finding lasting, sustainable and effective mutual and harmonious solutions to the crises that have arisen due to the activities of suspected armed Fulani herdsmen targeting farming communities  in the country”. HURIWA blames government at the center squarely for the breakdown of law and order characterized by high crime rate and the widening spectre of armed kidnappings, banditry and dare devilish atrocities unleashed by freelance armed hoodlums all across the Country.

The Rights groups said the piecemeal approach adopted by president Buhari whereby the government occasionally embarks on secretive monologues with only representatives of Fulani ethnicity, cannot deliver the positive and constructive results expected to restore normalcy in the flash points of these incessant armed Fulani attacks.

HURIWA has therefore asked president Buhari to adopt a much more holistic, transparent and open mechanisms such as the convocation of a national security parley whereby credible and transparently chosen leaders of the various communities in Nigeria including the Fulani ethnicity and credible civil rights advocacy groups will meet for at least two days to brainstorm on the most workable panacea to the incessant attacks unleashed by suspected herders targeting farmers just as government must as a matter of legality, must arrest, prosecute and punish all the non-state actors responsible for these intermittent but vicious violence.

“The Federal government can’t continue with the divide-and-rule approach that it has adopted but must open up to all the communities so a national funding platforms are created to provide palliatives to all the communities affected by the violence unleashed by armed herdsmen just as these flashpoints are located all across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria”. HURIWA also faulted the discriminatory policy of establishment of settlements for only one ethnic group which offends both the constitution and the land use Act of 1978.

The Rights group said the development of private businesses should be private sector-driven just as it asked that government needs to approach banks and other funding agencies so credible stakeholders needing bail out to set up farming settlements including herders and farmers are assisted with soft loans repayable over a period of time and guaranteed by the Nigerian State. This is a much more transparent form of providing funding lifeline than the discriminatory allocation of tax payers money to one ethnicity only because the President is Fulani by biological affinity. 

“The drafters of the constitution were mindful of the harmful effect of government adopting discriminatory policies which informs the decision to insert section 42(1) into the constitution as follows: “A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:-

(a) Be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or

(b) Be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions.”

HURIWA also charged the government to note that section 17(1) of the constitution is against the one sided policy of establishment of a settlement for one ethnicity when it states thus: “(1) The State social order is founded on ideals of Freedom, Equality and Justice.

(2) In furtherance of the social order-

(a) Every citizen shall have equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law;

(b) The sanctity of the human person shall be recognized and human dignity shall be maintained and enhanced;

(c) Governmental actions shall be humane;”

The Rights group has also backed the governors of South East of Nigeria for their legally and constitutionally supported position on rejecting the setting up of Fulani settlements in the south East zone just as the Rights group commended the Benue state government for doing same because the Land Use Act of 1978 expressly gives ownership of all landed assets to the people of each state of the federation as provided for in section 2(2) “There shall be established in each State a body to be known as "the Land Use and Allocation Committee" which shall have responsibility for:-(a) Advising the Governor on any matter connected with the management of land to which paragraph (a) of subsection (1) above relates; (b)       Advising the Governor on any matter connected with the resettlement of persons affected by the revocation of rights of occupancy on the ground of overriding public interest under this Act; and (c) determining disputes as to the amount of compensation payable under this Act for improvements on land even as section 1 vests ownership of Urban lands on the State governor and the lands in the rural settings on the Local administrative agencies. 

2019 polls not just imperfect but stolen:- HURIWA tells INEC

A leading pro-democracy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the chairman of the independent national electoral commission (INEC) Professor Yakubu Mohmood to spare Nigerians the unintelligent insult of describing the 2019 general elections as imperfect because in its words the elections were manipulated and the results substantially stolen and the winners denied of their victories.

In a statement against the backdrop of the claims by the chairman of INEC that no election in the world is perfect, the Rights group said the head of an electoral umpire that supervised and midwifed a substantially stolen elections should have the honour to quit for the spectacular manipulations he had exposed the panel into in the 2019 general elections rather than continue to heap undeserving but totally unintelligent insults on the psyche of the generality of Nigerians in their clever by half attempt to tie the wool of confusion around our eyes so as to allow him to continue to desecrate the electoral system. 

HURIWA said that Nigerians of good conscience like Professor Wole Soyinka had written off the elections as a huge charade and the international community had concluded in unison that the elections did not meet the thresholds of transparency and accountability. The Rights group reminded Mohmood that even his predecessor Attahiru Jega who himself is also an academic professor had ridiculed the 2019 elections. 

HURIWA through the national coordinator comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media affairs director Miss. Zainab Yusuf said the government is exposing Nigeria to inevitable anarchy,  chaos and doom should the current discredited hierarchy of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) be allowed to stay on to conduct further elections.

The Rights group said the only reason the current hierarchy in INEC  has been allowed to stay put by the government is a way of compensating the officials for allowing the general elections to be sold, bought and discredited to the benefit of the incumbent president which runs contrary to all democratic norms.

HURIWA has therefore challenged the chairman of INEC to instruct the legal team representing it at the presidential election petition tribunal to remain neutral and not connive with the first respondent and its declared winner of the presidential poll if indeed what transpired during the conduct of the widely disputed election is a mistake of the head and not of the heart or a conspiratorial scheme to retain the incumbent by hook or by crook.

The Rights group restated her position that allowing the niece of the incumbent president and then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mrs. Amina Zakari to play pivotal roles in the collation of the results of the last presidential poll in which her uncle was a participant rendered the just ended election a heavily manipulated and rigged enterprise even as the group wonders whether the INEC chairman thinks everyone out there has no thinking faculty to decode that the 2019 presidential poll remains one of the most fraudulent election ever conducted by man in modern times.

“The best we had expected from professor Mohmood was for him to tender his letter of resignation and run as fast as his legs can carry him out of the institution of independent national electoral commission since by his body language and conduct, he has shown that his whole heart, body, mind and spirit reside with the All Progressives Congress”.

“In the interest of peace, tranquility and the stability of Nigeria, the best bet is for the chairman of INEC to either be sacked or be compelled to resign so a completely non-partisan citizen can be assigned the all-important national task of reforming the administration of the electoral commission and to sparehead a drive for comprehensive and transparent reforms of Nigeria’s electoral system if we want to save Nigeria from a possible civil war should the heist that characterized the 2019 elections be repeated in 2023”.

“We repeat, what actually transpired during the last election cannot by any stretch of imagination be described as mere human error or imperfections. But what took place was a well-coordinated electoral robbery hatched and executed to keep the current president in office by hook or crook”.

HURIWA recalled that Yakubu, speaking against the backdrop of the reports of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria and the joint election observation mission of the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute to Nigeria, which highlighted some of the flaws of the elections, described democracy as work-in-progress.

The reports had decried low voter turnout and the systemic challenges that hobbled INEC.

HURIWA to Oshiomhole -: Give Obaseki breathing space ...... *faults Oshiomhole’s directive on Bauchi Assembly

Describing him as a persistent meddlesome interloper, a pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy organization – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has cautioned the national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Adams Oshiomhole to steer clear of the governance of Edo state and allow his successor in office Mr. Godwin Obaseki to concentrate and deliver democracy dividends to good people of Edo state.

Besides, the pro-democracy group said it was not in the place of the chairman of a political party to dish out orders to either the state governor of Bauchi Alhaji Bala Mohammed or the state legislature on how to carry on the duties of the legislative arm of government.

HURIWA therefore described as an act of political rascality and grandstanding the purported ‘directive’ by the national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) on the Inspector General of police Alhaji Adamu Mohammed to seal up the legislative complexes of both the Bauchi and Edo state Houses of Assembles following disagreements amongst the law makers.

HURIWA lamented that the national chairman of APC has been allowed by the powers that be a free reign to continue to create a general climate of political instability and impunity just as the Rights group told the politician that enough is enough.  

HURIWA said: “This was the same unsavory and undemocratic role played by this same overbearing autocrat and chairman of the ruling party Mr. Adams Oshiomhole just before the close of the last session of National Assembly which culminated in the widely reprehensible and criminal invasion of the National Assembly in a bid to impeach then Senate President Bukola Saraki by 100 hooded armed operatives of the department of state services (DSS) under the direct instructions of the APC’s hierarchy to the disgraced Director General of DSS Malam Lawal Daura. This action of the DSS which followed persistent pressures by Adam Oshiomhole amounted to a coup attempt which offends section 1(2) of the 1999 constitution which states that the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this constitution”.

“As a civil rights body, we hereby call on all Nigerians to mount pressure on the national chairman of All Progressives Congress to compel him to stop over heating the polity with his brand of cantekerous and totalitarian politics which he has now taking to his home state of EDO whereby he governed for eight years without any overbearing political godfather breathing down on his neck the same way he now goes about attacking and trying to dictate to the chief executive and governor of Edo state Mr Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki”.

“We think that the reason Mr. Adams Oshiomhole is emboldened to constitute a high political nuisance to his successor and to lots of other political gladiators all across Nigeria including the newly inaugurated governor of Bauchi state is because the anti-graft commission refused to act on a petition alleging widespread corruption against the national chairman of APC when he was governor of Edo state. It is this policy of impunity at the highest levels that has motivated the likes of Oshiomhole to continue to dabble into the domestic political affairs of some states behaving like an emperor who can’t be called to order or tamed. He must be told to respect the principle of rule of law and restrict himself to his part time assignments as a party chairman. National party chairman does not enjoy the power of oversight functions over governors."

In a statement by the national coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and national media affairs director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA has tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to speak out and stop his party chairman from spreading political messages of hate and rebellion and to stop Oshiomhole from undermining the governance of these states.

“At this crucial stage that we have found ourselves, it is detrimental to economic advancement of Edo state if the governor is not allowed the free room to govern his state qualitatively because of the undemocratic tendencies of the immediate past governor to still continue to pull the strings and teleguiding the state governor and because the governor has refused to become a puppet of Oshiomhole that is why his government has come under attacks by the national chairman of APC targeting another APC controlled state”. 

HURIWA expressed confidence that whatever internal challenges that any state house of assembly is facing, the members have the capacity to find amicable and law based panacea just as the Rights group rules out the unnecessary interference of such divisive factor like the overbearing national chairman of APC. 

Firestorm of insecurity and impunity in Nigeria

By Emmanuel Onwubiko

Malcom N. Shaw, Queens Counsel, is a senior fellow at the Lautorpacht Centre for international law, university of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

In the preambles to his scholarly work on international law, he had stated as follows: “law is that element which binds the members of the community together in their adherence to recognized values and standards. It is both permissive in allowing individuals to establish their own legal relations with rights and duties, as in the creation of contracts, and coerave as it punishes those who infringe its regulations. Law consists of a series of rules regulating behavior, and reflecting to some extent, the ideas and preoccupations of the society within which it functions”.

Throughout all of the different presentations on the essence of nationhood, the essential place of law and order is not in doubt because as we have seen above, it is law that defines the building up of all societies.

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) who is considered one of the fathers of philosophy was of the considered opinion that “law is order, and good law is good order”. Aristotle said that what distinguishes man from the other animals is his innate powers of reason and the faculty of speech, which give him a unique ability to form social groups and set up communities and partnerships.

The great thinker proceeded further to define the role of law when applied holistically in a human community and concluded by affirming that stability and security of lives and property of the citizenry is the resultant consequence of enforcement of the rule of law.

Hear him: “Within the community of a polis (city state), the citizens develop an organization that ensures the security, economic stability and justice of the state, not by imposing any form of social contract but because it is in their nature to do so. He rationalized that how well the citizens succeeds in achieving the goal of the enforcement of the law is totally reliant on the form of government they put in place.

Having said all these aforementioned, we will begin by asserting that as we set out to reflect on the apparent unworkability and dyfunctionality of the mechanisms for law enforcement in Nigeria represented by the near anarchy that defines our current socio-political status, it is pivotal to assert that from the benefit of hindsight, the causative agent of the swirling instability and insecurity is the decision of those who wield political power to embrace impunity.

No doubt, Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy with all the inherent statutory provisions which sums up the fundamental opinion that there is a legal system in place. There are institutions set up for the purposes of driving the process of rule of law so the wheel of societal progress is not unwittingly undermined.

Also, the grund norm in operation which is the 1999 constitution obliges government officials to abide by the laws even as there are legal sanctions for the violations of these provisions of the law. In the earliest part of the constitution, section 1(1) states that: “This constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

The significant import of the above stated provision of the Nigerian constitution is that law breakers ought to face institutional sanctions and these sets of legal punishments will serve as effective deterrent against reoffending. However, what we have continued to witness in the past few years is that the persons charged with the legal functions of enforcing the sets of laws in Nigeria may either have been compromised, are grossly inefficient and/or deliberately ineffective. Government functionaries more often than not violates and DISRESPECTS binding decisions of the Courts of law. 

Conversely, there is this methodology of 'vigilante justice' that those at the helms of affairs have embraced in place of wielding the big stick against offenders who have made life miserable for millions of peace loving citizens. 

The police as well as other security forces are more interested in the drama of law enforcement than in the practical application of the mechanisms of effective law enforcement which must of necessity terminate in the successful prosecution of suspected offenders and not just to dwell so much in what at best can be considered mere media trials of persons who ought to face the full weight of the law.

The immediate consequences of neglecting speed, decisiveness and thoroughness in the enforcement of the relevant laws against violent offenders is the gradual violations of all the fundamental rights that the citizens are entitled to which are grouped as first, second and third generation rights.

Reading through a manual for human rights training of police by Commonwealth secretariat, one learns that the first groups of rights – the so-called blue rights – are civil and political rights. These rights are sometimes seen as constituting the core of human rights. Civil rights are the rights that are enjoyed by individuals. There is a negative obligation on states not to infringe upon these rights. People have the right to liberty, freedom and security. They also have the right to be treated equally. Some examples of these rights would be the right not to be tortured or treated in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way. People should also be equal before the law and have equal protection of the law. People should have the right to life and right to a fair trial. Political rights are the rights that people need to have to participate meaningfully and freely, politically, in the way their country is run. Some examples of these rights are the right to vote and the right to form and join political parties, trade unions or other organizations.

This is closely followed by the second groups of rights or so-called red rights which are the social and economic rights. These rights deal with how people live and work together, and the right to basic necessities such as food and water.  

The last but not the least groups of rights are the so-called green lights, and include environmental and developmental rights. These two sets of rights are often in conflict with each other: those who wish to preserve the environment might be opposed to further development. On the one hand it includes the right to a clean and healthy environment, while on the other is the right to development. Further rights that fall into this category of rights are the rights to cultural and political advancement. These rights have less application to policing situations. 

It must be stated that much of what is crude oil rich Niger delta region is in turmoil and environmentally damaged because government isn't responsible enough to ensure respect for the environmental rights of the citizens. Few days back a deadly gas explosion led to the killings of more than 50 people in Rivers State. 

This deliberate employment of impunity by functionaries of government has now led Nigeria to a firestorm of insecurity and instability to an extent that world leaders have noticed. The government of Theresa May of Great Britain believes that over half of Nigeria is not safe enough for their citizens to visit.

This month, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom warned British nationals against travelling to about 21 states in Nigeria over security concerns.

The travel warning posted on its website and updated thereafter reportedly stemmed from the worsening security situation occasioned by the Boko Haram terrorists’ attacks in the North East, armed banditry in the North-West and militancy in the South-South.

Specifically, the FCO advised against all travels to Borno; Yobe; Adamawa; Gombe; and the riverine areas of Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

The British government also cautioned against trips to within 20km of the border with Niger and Zamfara states.

The FCO further advised against all but essential travel to Bauchi, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kogi and within 20km of the border with Niger in Sokoto and Kebbi states including the non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Abia States.

Apart from stating that this British travel ban has come at a time of grave economic challenges for a lot of the citizenry, it is also helpful to stress that government’s failure to effectively prosecute the suspects arrested for all kinds of violent crimes is the main reason for the spiraling situation of violence all across the country.

Let us closely examine some of the flashpoints of these violent crimes. In the North Western state of Kaduna, armed Fulani herdsmen have consistently raided Christian dominated southern Kaduna state and have slaughtered hundreds of farmers including the destruction of farmlands. On March 16^th 2019, the Kaduna state government confirmed attacks and killings of nine villagers in a place known as Nandu in Sanga local government area council.

The statement read: “The Kaduna State Government has been briefed by the security agencies on the killing of nine persons by criminal elements, who attacked Nandu village in Sanga LGA, in the early hours..."

Early this month, the governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State attended the funeral of 25 persons killed by bandits in a fresh attack which occurred in three communities in Rabah local government area of the state.

From the North East comes the story that Hundreds displaced in Adamawa as Fulani herdsmen attack two communities published on 19th June 2019. The rampaging Fulani herdsmen attacked and razed down two densely populated settlements – Suwa and Burukutu – in Lamurde local government area of Adamawa State.

Not fewer than 51 persons have been feared killed in the latest clash between the herders and farmers in Taraba State, a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Cyriacus Kamai, said on Friday, June 1^st 2019.

The 51 farmers were reportedly killed in 11 villages of Ardo-Kola Local Government Area and suburbs of the state capital, Jalingo.

Rev. Fr. Kamai, a native of Kona in Jalingo who delivered a sermon at the Remembrance Mass for the 51 deceased held at the Church of Assumption in Kona village, said the 51 dead have been buried.

From the North Central, gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked Agatu community in Benue State and killed 16 people while many others were injured this year. 

Recall that suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked some communities in Agatu Local Government Area of the state in 2016 and hundreds of people were killed.

In the renewed attack in the early hours, 16 persons were murdered in their sleep by the suspected Fulani herders.

According to a community source, the herdsmen attacked Ebete community under Usha ward of the Agatu Local Government Area of the state in the night.

From the South East came the report that some herdsmen reportedly killed a woman at Amofia, Affa in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, Wednesday.

The woman’s name was given as Mrs Paulina Agadife.

On May 2^nd 2019, four persons from Ngno community in Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi state were killed in resumed hostilities with neighboring Agila in Ardo local government area of Benue State.

From the South South is a report that no fewer than five persons have been killed following a cult related clash between two rival groups in Ughelli Community, Delta State, in the early hours around December 2018.

It was gathered that the two rival groups, Vickings and Eiye confraternities, engaged in supremacy battle in Ekiugbo Community, Ughelli North local government area of the state.

The South West is a hotbed of armed fulani herdsmen instigated kidnappings and the zone is boiling too with the story in April this year that suspected herdsmen attacked Eda, one of the communities in Iyemero town, in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

Invading the town in the wee hours, they killed two people and inflicted various degrees of injury on three others.

Residents identified one of the dead as Danjuma Ali, a Muslim farmer, while the identity of the second person whose body had been deposited in the morgue of the General hospital, Ikole Ekiti, was still unknown as of the time of filing this report.

Still on the emerging story of lawlessness, at least seven people were reportedly killed in the robbery attack carried out by an eleven-man gang when robbers hit a branch of First Bank in Idoani, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State on April 9^th 2019.

The robbers were reported to have stormed the town in the afternoon  shooting sporadically.

They broke the bank’s security doors with an explosive device.

The bank is the only commercial bank in Idoani, serving the other neighboring towns as well.

From East to North, North and South, a common denominator is the emerging scenarios of festivals of deaths and violence even as government appears unwilling to confront and tackle these armed killers. This growing impunity may precipitate a wider scale of anarchy and doom if the citizens do not stand up and defend their rights. Government must be held accountable. 

*Emmanuel Onwubiko heads Human Rights WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs@www.emmanuelonwubiko.com,www.huriwa.blogspot.com,www.thenigerianinsidermews.com.   

"LEST WE FORGET! MIYETTI ALLAH IS A TERRORIST GROUP."

By Emmanuel Onwubiko

Not long ago when a global terrorists index was issued by international experts on terrorism and the threats terrorists pose to World's peace, the Nigerian version of armed fulani herdsmen backed actively by a certain dangerous platform called Miyetti Allah cattle owners Association, was rated as the fourth most deadliest killer terror organisation in the whole wide World. 

Sadly, as the international community of concerned experts are cracking their brains on how to get the relevant global leaders to act to stave off the grave consequences of not doing anything to stop all forms of terror attacks which directly threatens to wipe off humanity from the face of the earth, in Nigeria however, there is an awkward marriage of convenience and conspiracy of silence amongst the Presidency. 

There appears to be an apparent pampering and protection of these dare devil armed fulani herdsmen because it is believed that the President Muhammadu Buhari who is Fulani by origin has not directly asked the armed forces to crush the armed fulani herdsmen. Secondly, these armed fulani herdsmen who have killed, maimed and destroyed over 10,000 citizens who are mostly owners of farming communities always, often find active support from their umbrella organisation- Miyetti Allah cattle owners. 

This growing sense of abandonment of the rest of Nigerians by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari continued all through his first four years. 

But as the wise saying goes, nothing can be hidden under the sun forever or rather let’s look at the other related saying that goes thus:"you can deceive some of the people some of the times but you can't deceive all of the people all of the times". It is perhaps in keeping with the truism established in these trends of thoughts as espoused in those wise sayings that each time in the last four years that farmers are attacked and their farm lands destroyed by armed Fulani herdsmen, these killings are immediately or even before they happened, are backed by a group identifying itself as Miyetti Allah cattle owners (MACBAN). 

This group has the support of the President who refused to arrest their officials who go to the media to incite violence against farmers or who provide support for the atrocities committed by these armed Fulani herdsmen categorized as the third most deadliest terrorists group in the World. 

The support of the presidency for Miyetti Allah cattle owners which by all intents and purposes is a terror network is no longer an open secret but is now a policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari Whose spokesman appeared alongside this writer on a television interview by Channels Television and defended the Miyetti Allah cattle owners. 

Garba Shehu has always defended this group even when this same government against all common sense and rationality, proscribed an unarmed group known as Indigenous peoples of Biafra (IPOB) for their mere harmless agitation for self-determination which is permitted under international laws backed up by the International covenants on civil and political rights and the Universal declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). 

Miyetti Allah cattle owners has however continued to terrorize Nigeria and Nigerians but because they are actively supported and protected by the Presidency and the security forces with an almost 95% all Hausa/Fulani Moslems hierarchies, they are now roaming about like sacred cows and are demanding openly to set up armed vigilantes in the Igbo heartland only because the people rejected the Muhammadu Buhari's administration's ill-advised plot to confiscate ancestral lands of indigenous people to use public fund to set up either cattle colonies or ranches or grazing lands. 

But the below are some of the public utterances of Miyetti Allah cattle owners which goes to show them as nothing but a pure terror organization. 

On June 25th 2018 at the heights of the attacks of farming communities in the Christian dominated middle belt region this group said the killings were retaliation for the theft of 300 cows. 

Specifically, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) stated that the raid by suspected herdsmen on three local governments in Plateau State were a retaliation of the loss of cows in recent times.

More than 100 people were killed on Saturday night when suspected herdsmen attacked many villages in Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos south local government areas of the state.

Commenting on the tragedy in quotes first reported by The Nation, Danladi Ciroma, Chairman, North-Central zone of the cattle breeders’ association, said herdsmen in the state had lost “about 300 cows in the last few weeks”.

“These attacks are retaliatory. As much as I don’t support the killing of human being, the truth must be told that those who carried out the attacks must be on revenge mission,” Ciroma said.

“There have been recent reports of cow rustling and destruction of farms between Berom farmers and Fulani herdsmen. The people carrying out these criminal activities are well-known to the communities but the communities are hiding them.

“Fulani herdsmen have lost about 300 cows in the last few weeks — 94 cows were rustled by armed Berom youth in Fan village, another 36 cows were killed by Berom youth. In addition to that, 174 cattle were rustled and the criminals disappeared with them to Mangu [Local Government].

“Since these cows were not found, no one should expect peace in the areas. Even soldiers that went after the criminals to recover the rustled cows were shot by the armed rustlers and eventually escaped with all the cows.

“The government of Governor Lalong has done a lot to restore peace, but the criminal elements hiding among their people are the ones frustrating these peace efforts.”

He urged security agencies to be fair to all parties, saying they should neglect any report presented by the Fulani “because such report can lead to attacks and deaths if not properly handled”.

“Criminals thrive a lot in Berom communities, but when the Fulani, who are always victims of their crime, react with attacks, they blame the government,” he added. On May 5th 2016, similar defence was made by this same group- the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigerian  said Fulani herdsmen , which have allegedly been involved in serial killings in various communities in the country , kill their hosts in self - defence.

The leader of a delegation of MACBAN to the Defence Headquarters , Senator Dagiri Alkali, said the Fulani moved into new territories in the country because they had been forced out of their territories in the North .

He claimed that the Boko Haram insurgents attacked the Fulani in the North - East and other parts of the country and stole millions of cows from the breeders.

He added that the Fulani were also victims of the activities of cattle rustlers in Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue and parts of Kogi states with millions of cows taken away from them.

He wondered why people had not taken a look at the factors that had driven the Fulani to different parts of the country, asking where Nigerians expected the herdsmen to keep the over 20 million cows in the country.

He added , “ When the reserves and forest were gazetted and reserved for cattle breeders, this incident was not there; but the increase in population has now wiped out the entire grazing reserves in this country ; 400 and something of them all wiped out . And you have a population of about 20 million cows. Where do you keep them? And every one of us likes to eat meat.

“This is a venture that over 20 million people are engaged in. And nobody cares to know what the causes of this problem are. Presently, you know the case of Boko Haram. They attacked and decapitated the population of Fulani in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe and some parts of Taraba.

“The cattle rustlers have displaced the Fulani in Katsina, Zamfara , Kebbi , Kaduna, Nasarawa , Plateau and Benue and in some parts of Kogi . Millions of cattle have been taken from these herdsmen. So when somebody says a Fulani man killed somebody, I wonder why? How? It’s only a poor man that fights .

“But you, as the military people, you know self -defence is an art. In the military, if you are attacked you have to defend yourself. You have been squeezed; you have to find a way to survive. ”

He said when the Fulani were killed in the bush, nobody carried it in the media , admitting that it was not enough for anybody to kill innocent persons.

The Defence authorities have warned that the military would go after those behind the killing of innocent citizens and ensure that they were prosecuted in accordance with the directive of the President to deal with the situation .

Shockingly, rather than arrest and prosecute these persons for defending mass murders, the Director , Administration , at the Defence Headquarters , Maj . Gen . Fatai Ali , who represented the Chief of Defence Staff , Gen . Gabriel Olonisakin , said the CDS had set up a committee to interact with the stakeholders on the issue.

He warned those involved in violence to stop forthwith as the Federal Government would subject them to the full weight of the law .

According to him , the committee , led by Maj . Gen . Edward Nze , had just arrived in Abuja from Benue for such meetings with stakeholders .

He stated that the military was working hard to ensure that those who perpetrated the gruesome killings were apprehended.

“ The recent herdsmen and local community clashes in many parts of Nigeria are sources of serious concern. Many lives have been lost. The President has directed security agencies and indeed the military to handle the situation and ensure that no more lives are lost.

“ I want to assure you that the military, in conjunction with other security agencies , is doing everything possible to maintain peace and security in Nigeria in line with the directive of the Commander - in - Chief .

“I want to also assure you that whoever is involved in this killing will be brought to book and tried in line with the law of the land.

“We are calling on all other parties, who are interested in peace , to sheathe their swords and ensure that they do not cause unnecessary casualties or deaths ; otherwise , the Federal Government of Nigeria will bring the full weight of the force and law on them . ”

The same Miyetti Allah cattle owners in January 2018 defended armed fulani herdsmen who attacked Benue state communities and even slaughtered two catholic priests and worshippers at a Morming Mass. These persons were never arrested but the Presidency is protecting them.  At that time, the Miyetti Allah, a coalition of Fulani herdsmen, had reacted to the recent killings in Benue, Taraba and other states.

Recall that dozens  of people have been killed in violence unleashed by armed fulani herdsmen on farmers. 

The most reported killing of over 70 people in Benue has been blamed by the state government on the Miyetti Allah. Miyetti Allah didn't deny involvement but pontificated their time worn and dubious claim of killing in self defence which they even told the security forces categorically as aforementioned. 

Hear them: ‎”We are however not denying the fact that, as any other community in the country, we are also battling with misguided and criminally motivated elements who indulge in social vices and criminal activities. However, these few miscreants do not represent the mainstream of herdsmen,” the group said.

It also said about 1,000 Fulanis have been killed in communal violence in the affected states. In a media conference the group stated thus:  "Members of the general public are already aware of the burning national security challenges with violent hostilities affecting pastoralist community in different parts of the country."

"These very unfortunate crises have since degenerated into dangerously intolerable level of killings, maiming and unprecedented destruction of property. More worrisome is the fact that the pastoralist community which has been the main target of the offensive is also deliberately been pointed as the attackers at the same time."

"This horrible accusation in both intent and purpose is meant not only to smear the image of the herdsmen as a peace loving community, but to also allow further criminal justification to carry out total ethnic cleansing on our members, as witnessed in different parts of the country."

"Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria as the premier pastoralist body in the country has remained in unimaginable pains on daily basis as we receive communication of gory details of attacks, maiming and destruction of our members across the country." 

"We are however not denying the fact that, as any other community in the country, we are also battling with misguided and criminally motivated elements who indulge in social vices and criminal activities. However, these few miscreants do not represent the mainstream of herdsmen."

"In fact our case is worsen by long years of exclusion suffered by the Fulani herdsmen as the most neglected community in the country, thereby depriving us of so many things."

Miyetti Allah again blamed others for the actions of armed fulani herdsmen when they stated that: "The current situation in our opinion is fuelled by the draconian laws put in place by some state governments with the singular aim of chasing our people out of the states simply for ethnic hatred. The anti-open-grazing law in Benue, Taraba and other states is nothing more than a symbol of intolerance and do not in any way intend to solve the farmers/grazers conflict as the livestock breeders interest is neither captured in the law nor in its implementation mechanism."

"While as a body we are not against any law that can engender peace, create societal harmony and stability, we cannot oblige any self-centred regulation with primordial sentiments based on injustice, intolerance and infringement of people’s fundamental rights."

"Only very recently we have lost over 1000 people including children, women and the aged and over 2 million cattle to this gang. We are more disturbed today as this state government hides under the self-created crises and blackmailing the Federal Government into releasing to them security operatives to achieve their illegal and wicked agenda on our people."

What is still a compelling interrogation is what the motivating factor is for this Presidency to insist on not declaring Miyetti Allah cattle owners as a terror group even when empirical proofs exist to show how they actively encouraged and sponsors violence against farmers. 

*Emmanuel Onwubiko heads Human Rights WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs@www.emmanuelonwubiko.com,www.huriwa.blogspot.com,www.thenigerianinsidermews.com.