On the Suspected Herdsmen Attack on Bayo Famonure and His Family

By: Deji Yesufu

At 7:45pm on Tuesday, 3rd May, 2020, gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, invaded the home of Rev. Bayo Famonure. Bayo Famonure is a seventy-year old pioneer missionary with CAPRO international ministries in Gana Ropp, a community on the outskirts of Jos, Plateau State. Uncle Bayo, as he is popularly called, had just completed the evening devotion with his wife and two sons and they all retired to their rooms. Bayo Famonure was in his study reading the Bible when armed men, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, broke into his home and headed straight for him. In an obvious assassination attempt, eight men entered Uncle Bayo’s study brandishing AK47 machine guns. They drew him out of the chair to the center of the room. After demanding the whereabouts of other people in the house and getting no meaningful response from him, the attackers opened fire on Uncle Bayo. He was shot in the head at close range (within five meters). Believing he was dead, the gunmen went to the other rooms in the house. They found A’dua, one of Uncle Bayo’s sons, and were about to abduct him when his mother (Uncle’s wife) and his brother resisted them. In the process the gunmen shot the woman in the back and the two boys in the leg. In the frenzy that followed and realizing that the sounds of their guns would have attracted security men and neighbors around, the gunmen fled the home of this missionary couple.

Bayo Famonure is a man I know very well. He is family—the elder brother of my wife’s mother. As a man of God, he has all these years offered spiritual oversight to his family and even the extended family. He is a man that is much beloved and respected in the family.

Beyond family life, Uncle Bayo was a pioneer missionary with CAPRO Nigeria. Following his bachelor’s degree and having gone to serve in Zaria in Kaduna State in the early 1970s, Uncle Bayo had abandoned secular work and headed into the dirty waters of mission works. He did not choose the cozy environment of Lagos or Ibadan or Port Harcourt; rather he went to the hostile communities of Zaria to serve Jesus Christ. And he has been at this since then, moving to Gana Ropp in the Jos area sometimes in the 1990s to serve the Lord.

Uncle Bayo’s vision in ministry had been primarily to serve Jesus Christ by sharing the gospel with his host community. A missionary to the core, Bayo Famonure had wholly depended on Christ for sustenance in ministry. He and others worked with CAPRO from a fledgling missionary organization to the household name it has become today. It was in the middle of serving the Lord that this attack came on him and his family. The good news is that despite shooting him, his wife and two sons at close range, they all survived miraculously. The bullet to his head did not penetrate his skull and the one to his legs did not shatter a bone.

The question that this article ponders on is this: how long will these attacks continue?

First, there is the political matter of whether or not to label these attackers “Fulani herdsmen” or “suspected Fulani herdsmen”. There is a world of difference between these two terms. One’s traducers will respond by saying that no one else was in the house with the Famonures to corroborate their allegations that it was Fulani herdsmen who attacked them. Others will reply: how come only one ethnic group has been alleged of these killings since they began a few years ago?

There is also the political question of how come Fulani herdsmen attacks were almost nonexistent until the coming of this present administration? It appears, some argue, that the presence of Buhari at the helms of affairs in this country has emboldened his kinsmen to do as they please. Up till the time of writing this, there has been no Fulani herdsman prosecuted let alone convicted for these crimes. Another person will reply by saying that it was probably because the Fulanis are not culpable. Or, is it because our law enforcement agents have turned a blind eye to the violence?

Now let us get certain things clear as citizens of this country. Nigeria as presently constituted is a secular state. It means it is neither Christian nor Muslim. The nation’s constitution allows people to practice whatever religion they wish. This also includes freedom of gathering and association.
The concept of a modern secular state followed years of religious wars in Europe. After Martin Luther disrupted the peace of Europe in the sixteenth century with the coming of the Protestant religion, Europe was plunged in religious crisis. Following the 30-year war that ended in 1648 and destroyed most of Germany, Europe began to toy with the idea of religious toleration. It meant that in a modern state people could practice whatever religion they wished. It is this concept that the Americans further developed, thus leading to the practice of separating the State from the church.

What toleration means is that every citizen of a country can practice their religion. Every citizen can seek proselytes of other religion to theirs. But no one must be coerced against practicing the tenets of his religion. Religious proselytization must also start with words and end with words. No one uses the sword or gun to propagate his religion in modern times. Even modern Islam, at least in enlightened nations, has jettisoned the idea of spreading religion with the sword. This is why most Muslims abhor the Boko Haram ideology. The modern state has tolerance at the heart of religious practice.

With this in mind, one must then call on the authorities in this country to address the violation of the rights of one man, Rev. Adebayo Famonure, to practice his religion in freedom. The Nigerian state, which we all belong to and in which we are tax payers, has the responsibility of protecting its citizens. And this protection begins with fishing at the persons who have sought to snuff out life from Uncle Bayo and his family. The Nigerian state should also kindly work hard at bringing an end to the usage of this word “suspected”. This word has offered undue alibi to hundreds of criminal figures to perpetrate all kinds of evil on law-abiding Nigerians. Let us know, once and for all, what these animals in human skin want and let the country settle this question forever. We cannot be battling Boko Haram without and Boko Haram within. The government will do well to attend to these issues.

The last thing anyone needs at these times of the Coronavirus pandemic is an attack on their lives and then spending unnecessary time in the hospital. As I write, Uncle Bayo and his family are recuperating in the hospital. This country owes this family a duty to protect them. Indeed we all deserve to live in safety and peace in our own country.

Disclaimer: This article are my personal observations on the attack on the Famonures. It is not the family official statement on it. Thank you.

Source: https://textandpublishing.com/on-the-suspected-herdsmen-attack-on-bayo-famonure-and-his-family/

Please accept my sincere wishes and fervent prayer that Baba Famonure, Mama, their son and other family members, relatives and even workers traumatised or hurt, all have a speedy recovery.

Ordinarily Lagos to Ibadan expressway, I took the other day, a few years back, I was silently praying in mind, that God, please let us reach our destination and return back to Lagos in peace and whole piece of us, intact. The road was treacherous, my brother driving, darting the car to the left, one minute and then next minute, to the right repeatingly, to avoid gullies and potholes wasn't a nice experience.

So, if that's just a road, imagine how I'll feel about the North. Tbh, the North, is one place, I will hurriedly visit and as quickly as possible leave anytime. It never was a favourite place of mine to go to, never has it entered my mind, to put it on my bucket list, to now talkess consider to be living there. "Agbedo," loosely translated, means, "God forbid" It is only if its an explicit or heard clearly from God, that could make me live anywhere in the North, without being armed to defend (i.e. Matthew 24:43 and Luke 12:39) Taking up arms legitimately and/or lawfully IS NOT vengeance, is not about taking revenge or avenging but is about protection and countering force, just as Matthew 24:43 & Luke 12:39 simply explains.

Of course, we are aware of Deutronomy 32:35 and this our solace, in times like something of this nature about the fate of those sons of Canaan, descendants of the youngest son of Ham. Those evil guys and their evil scheming sponsors, will all, get their comeuppance in the end in Jesus' name. Amen.

Ok

Shey these people no dey tire ni






Quick recovery uncle Bayo.

It is quite unfortunate what my dear nation has turned into.

Poverty,banditry,looting and maiming of the masses by so called Fulani Herdsmen at will without being questioned

Chai...
God help us in this country o. But these guys are heartless Sha.


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Zero eight one 65 zero 65 six zero nine

Awww

Wmmmn

Quick recovery sir.

Z

They'll soon meet their Waterloo by God's grace

It is well. You want to imagine how many established Churches support what CAPRO has been busy doing for decades now. The Bible is clear that those who will follow Christ will suffer persecution.

bad...jus too bad...read somewhere on a post within this week when a leader was complaining that bandit problems are worst than corona virus in his environment but everybody paid deaf ears and focused on the main covid pandemic..my prayers are with those suffering from any other ailments or diseases or troubles asid from this spreading pandemic and i pray the lord or whatever they worship fights for them because this corona virus have put the world on stand still and have come to stay, meaning for the main time all other problem becomes irrelevant and seems minor and wont be taken seriously....happy weekedn yall...LORD BE WITH US.

LIFE HACK

If you survive an assassination, best not to let the whole world know just yet.


For example, they are essentially burying the case by saying it isn't the herdsmen. Herdsmen wey get iPhone. Political and Religious hitmen.

These Fulani men self. If they stay in their state, they will be bandits. If they go outside their state they will be terrorist.

Hmm

Where re the cows - Tinubu 2018

MuttleyLaff:
Please accept my sincere wishes and fervent prayer that Baba Famonure, Mama, their son and other family members, relatives and even workers traumatised or hurt, a speedy recovery.

Ordinarily Lagos to Ibadan expressway, I took the other days, a few years back, I was silently praying in mind, that God, please let us reach our destination and return back to Lagos in peace and whole piece of us intact. The road was treacherous, my brother driving, darting the car to the left one minute and then next minute to the right repeatingly to avoid gullies and potholes wasn't a nice experience.

So, if that's just a road, imagine how I'll about the North. Tbh, the North, is one place, I will hurriedly visit and as quickly as possible leave anytime. It never was a favourite place of mine to go to, never has it entered my mind to put it on my bucket list, to now talkess consider to be living there. "Agbedo," loosely translated, means, "God forbid" It is only if its an explicit or heard clearly from God, that could make me live anywhere in the North, without being armed to defend (i.e. Matthew 24:43 and Luke 12:39) Taking up arms legitimately and/or lawfully IS NOT vengeance, is not about taking revenge or avenging but is about protection and countering force, just as Matthew 24:43 & Luke 12:39 simply explains.

Of course, we are aware of Deutronomy 32:35 and this our solace, in times like something of this nature about the fate of those sons of Canaan, descendants or youngest sons of Ham. Those evil guys and their evil scheming sponsors, will all, get their comeuppance in the end in Jesus' name. Amen.

So sad

www.nairaland.com/attachments/11502154_3256261_jpegc4d990faf6265e61f2e0808847a9ba88

Chai!!! herdsmen don finish afonjaitus melitus for dis country

My opinion, wrong or right, we christians should consider that there are some situations we might need to flee from when it presents or even before it presents itself. It’s not a sign of cowardice or disbelief in God, it’s just something we ought to consider sometimes.
Jesus passed through the crowd and slipped away when the officers tried to seize him (Luke 4:30).
But God will still protect His own irrespective, that’s why the Reverend is still alive.
Wishing him and his family a divinely speedy recovery.

Buhari Brothers on the loose once again

Though it tarry, but all evil doers must one day pay for their actions. Rest in peace to the departed soul and may God heal the afflicted ones.

ArmaniUhuru:
These people no dey tire?

Why dem go tire when their oga dea Aso Rock

The Daura dûllard should call his boys to order, these attacks against Christians must stop