₦airaland Forum

Anytime any member of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari talks about the killings going on in North-Central Nigeria, the person usually describes it as a clash between herdsmen and farmers. But what has been happening has no relationship with a clash.

What is a clash? A clash is a violent confrontation between two armies or groups. No two groups are fighting in states like Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna for many months now.

One group (the herdsmen’s group) has been attacking the host communities, killing the locals, burning their homes and destroying their crops and animals. It has been systematic. It has been consistent. The killers arrive at night and commit their heinous act and disappear. The killers do not officially identify themselves. It is by comments and revelations from others that they are found out to be herdsmen of Fulani extraction.

The killers do not share boundaries with the victims. The victims never know when next they will come or which area they will attack next. There is no portion of land or river or mountain or cave that both parties are laying claim to. There has been no time the killers arrived and engaged in a fight with the hosts. It has been a one-sided massacre of the host communities.

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https://www.nigerialog.com/politics/herder-farmer-clashes-or-ethnic-cleansing

It is a land grab

enlady:
It is a land grab

Correct! It's simply targeted at driving away the host communities out of their homes, it's working in Kaduna, Plateau and now it's working in Benue. The perpetrators want to buy time and look good all through the process

Probable Solutions:
1) The state govt can a private Isreali intelligence firm to investigate...
2) The state govt can develop a modern Land Ownership system (with GIS) ASAP, showing who owns what and the communities it belongs to
3) Bury the dead at the border between Benue and Nassarawa states (one per grave per person in honour of the dead and not mass burials) with a huge Signpost on the road sending a strong message
4) Write to united nations
5) Raise a fund from the international communities and well-meaning Nigerians to sponsor a counter-terrorism squad made of main locals
6) Cry out LOUD and clear.

Its up to our Benue citizens tho

Let me give you a case in one state alone.
Over 54 communities have been displaced in two LGAs of Plateau state alone. It is well documented. The indigenous inhabitants are either IDPs or have relocated to Jos metropolis. Today the fulani herdsmen occupy all the communities. I am angry with political leaders and elder statesmen in the Middle belt. They have failed the vulnerable people in the rural areas

istandfortruth:
Correct! It's simply targeted at driving away the host communities out of their homes, it's working in Kaduna, Plateau and now it's working in Benue. The perpetrators want to buy time and look good all through the process

Probable Solutions:
1) The state govt can a private Isreali intelligence firm to investigate...
2) The state govt can develop a modern Land Ownership system (with GIS) ASAP, showing who owns what and the communities it belongs to
3) Bury the dead at the border between Benue and Nassarawa states with a huge Signpost on the road sending a strong message
4) Write to united nations
5) Raise a fund from the international communities and well-meaning Nigerians to sponsor a counter-terrorism squad made of main locals
6) Cry out LOUD and clear.

Its up to our Benue citizens tho

Meanwhile, Buhari is buying enough time for them to finish with Benue. Here's what he said yesterday "We are doing our best to make sure we have stopped the cross-border and so on, and — to get the weapons from the (inaudible) and weapons in the region checked. But it’s going to take time..."

It's my two cents to Benue. I wonder how many encounters it will take to learn one single lesson...

enlady:
Let me give you a case in one state alone.
Over 54 communities have been displaced in two LGAs of Plateau state alone. It is well documented. The indigenous inhabitants are either IDPs or have relocated to Jos metropolis. Today the fulani herdsmen occupy all the communities. I am angry with political leaders and elder statesmen in the Middle belt. They have failed the vulnerable people in the rural areas

The Benue case is even worse. They are chronic sycophants. They were the most vocal in supporting Buhari last week during the house debate on the aircraft purchase saga.

istandfortruth:
Meanwhile, Buhari is buying enough time for them to finish with Benue. Here's what he said yesterday "We are doing our best to make sure we have stopped the cross-border and so on, and — to get the weapons from the (inaudible) and weapons in the region checked. But it’s going to take time..."

It's my two cents to Benue. I wonder how many encounters it will take to learn one single lesson...

istandfortruth:
Correct! It's simply targeted at driving away the host communities out of their homes, it's working in Kaduna, Plateau and now it's working in Benue. The perpetrators want to buy time and look good all through the process

Probable Solutions:
1) The state govt can a private Isreali intelligence firm to investigate...
2) The state govt can develop a modern Land Ownership system (with GIS) ASAP, showing who owns what and the communities it belongs to
3) Bury the dead at the border between Benue and Nassarawa states (one per grave per person in honour of the dead and not mass burials) with a huge Signpost on the road sending a strong message
4) Write to united nations
5) Raise a fund from the international communities and well-meaning Nigerians to sponsor a counter-terrorism squad made of main locals
6) Cry out LOUD and clear.

Its up to our Benue citizens tho

These are probable solutions as you said but they are not going to be feasible without the support of the federal government. The president isn't ready to take a very harsh action against his own people unlike the way he handled some previous cases in other regions.
I believe Fayose's approach of involving the local hunters, with little or no publicity will be very effective. It was the same approach most communities have been using in some parts of ogun state and its been very effective. Brave hunters don't need any sophisticated weapon to wipe them out.
I am sure that mysterious death of scores of herdsmen and their cows after entering a farmland will send good message to them than all those noise.

The threat in the middle belt is more deadly than what you have in Ekiti or Ogun state. I have never heard of any attacks in Ekiti leading to up to ten casualities.
Trust me the indigenous communities have tried all this vigilante ideas. The hunters can only help to an extent. The Fulani militia is deadly, vicious and sophisticatedly armed. In January this year, over 70 were killed within 3 days in Benue state alone. This is beyond hunters and local vigilante.

drkay:
These are probable solutions as you said but they are not going to be feasible without the support of the federal government. The president isn't ready to take a very harsh action against his own people unlike the way he handled some previous cases in other regions.
I believe Fayose's approach of involving the local hunters, with little or no publicity will be very effective. It was the same approach most communities have been using in some parts of ogun state and its been very effective. Brave hunters don't need any sophisticated weapon to wipe them out.
I am sure that mysterious death of scores of herdsmen and their cows after entering a farmland will send good message to them than all those noise.

Governor Ganduje of Kano has already asked all herdsmen to relocate to Kano, where he didclosed that thereis enough land to take care of millions of them.

If lack of amenities is the witholding issue, FG should partner with Kano to build schools, hospitals, worship centres, e.t.c., in the Kano ranching area Ganduje spoke about.

Opinions are tainted by emotions, perspectives are warped by belief.
One parallel fact is that the perpetrators are criminals.
Evil as no other name than evil!

enlady:
The threat in the middle belt is more deadly than what you have in Ekiti or Ogun state. I have never heard of any attacks in Ekiti leading to up to ten casualities.
Trust me the indigenous communities have tried all this vigilante ideas. The hunters can only help to an extent. The Fulani militia is deadly, vicious and sophisticatedly armed. In January this year, over 70 were killed within 3 days in Benue state alone. This is beyond hunters and local vigilante.

Yes, we never had it this bad because we didn't give them any chance from the outset. A stitch in time saves nine.
Even at that, don't underrate the power of those local vigilante groups.