Fulani Herdsmen Presidency tells us something it hasn't told anyone else
The Nigerian Presidency hands Pulse an exclusive on how it intends to deal with the herdsmen crisis.
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Osinbajo listens to Buhari during APC NEC meeting(Presidency/Twitter)
The Nigerian presidency believes that bandits masquerading as herdsmen are behind the killings across the country.
To this end, “decisive
military force will now be fully engaged to deal with the bandits
believed to be behind the killings in parts of the country especially
regarding the crisis often associated with herdsmen”, a highly placed presidency official told Pulse.
The role of “bandits and suspected mercenaries in what has become known as herdsmen/ farmer clashes and violence” has
provoked the need for a fresh approach to dealing with the crisis,
sources close to the Working Group formed recently by the National Economic Council (NEC) disclosed on the condition of anonymity; because they haven't been authorized to speak on the subject.
States taking charge
The
view in official circles is that the reported killings and violence
recorded are the work of bandits and mercenaries; since in many cases, the herdsmen are often well-known in the communities where their cattle normally graze.
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Presidency meets NASS officials over dinner (Presidency)
Deploying the military to clampdown on “the criminals masquerading as herders” was one of the resolutions of the Working Group.
The Working Group was formed a little over a week ago by the National Economic Council.
It has nine Governors and is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje
of Kano State who read out highlights and decisions of the NEC to
reporters alongside his Ebonyi counterpart after the Council meeting,
said the Working Group “will work in accordance with the President’s commitment to ensuring that all perpetrators of violence are brought to book.”
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Buhari meets State Governors at the Villa (Twitter/@AsoRock)
Governors
from Zamfara, Kaduna, Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Edo, Plateau, Ebonyi and
Oyo States are also members of this Working Group.
They commenced their work with a meeting presided over by the VP immediately after NEC at the presidential villa last week.
Religious undertone
Close watchers of government business indicated that the "crisis also required a political solution considering the religious and ethnic tones that could easily become further exacerbated and possibly worsen the situation if proper and timely care is not taken".
Other
law enforcement and intelligence units like the police and DSS will
also be deployed to the northern States of Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa,
Kaduna and Taraba to deal with the problem headlong, our presidency
sources added.
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Buhari and State Governors from the north (Facebook/Maiwada B Atake)
According to one of our presidency sources; “The
Working Group resolved to work with the federal government to
strengthen law enforcement and all security and intelligence agencies in
the country so they can coordinate better in dealing with, checkmating,
and preventing the crisis from further escalation.
“On
how to permanently address the basis of the herdsmen and farmer
clashes, the Working Group is of the view that every State should by a
rigorous consultative process with all stakeholders design its own
solutions.
“The federal government will
not impose any solution on any State. The Vice President assured all
that the federal government would certainly not imposed its ideas on the
States and noted that fears being expressed on cattle colonies are
misplaced”.
Mass graves
Herdsmen believed to be of Fulani extraction, have been blamed for the spate of killings across Nigeria.
On January 11, 2018, 73 persons killed by herdsmen were buried in mass graves in Benue State, with State Governor Samuel Ortom declaring a three day mourning period for residents.
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