Agatu, Herdsmen And National Security

ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The extent of brigandage in communities attacked by supposed Fulani herdsmen should begin to attract the attention of not only the security agencies but the federal government to the urgency of putting a check to the obvious madness.

Herdsman (cattle rearer) carrying an automatic weapon

Agatu Local Government Area in Benue State and its communities are the latest victims in this seemingly well organised and executed attacks by men we all conveniently choose to explain away as herdsmen. They operate so brazenly with sophisticated weapons like AK-47 rifles. It is apposite to ask what herdsmen are doing with such assault rifles which they wield in such a way as to dare anyone to do anything about it. To all intents, the country may be under attack and our security operatives are chasing shadows and dismissing the mayhem that is the aftermath of such attacks as communal feuds.

A victim of what happened in Agatu insisted that those who sacked the communities were not the familiar Fulani herdsmen everyone is attributing the ugly situation to. His argument was that the people of the area had lived peacefully with the herdsmen for many years. He further said that those who spearhead the attacks do so with the purpose of destroying the target communities. To him, the level of bitterness exhibited by the brigands was so deep-rooted that one cannot imagine it and asserted that part of the problem that is becoming intractable has to do with the settler herdsmen coveting the land belonging to their host communities which they badly need for grazing.

A conflict resolution activist, however, maintained that the attackers were on a vengeance mission. He pointed out, as if to justify the level of destruction of lives and property, that the herdsmen get enraged when their animals are either rustled or killed by their host communities. Their intention, he rationalised, was not to loot or rape. Where that happens, it is often a collateral damage.

These, in our view, are mere academic discourse that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue at hand which is that the nation’s security is being compromised if not  jeopardised and dangerously too. The security agencies themselves ought to be concerned about the prevalence of arms and ammunition in the society. It is common sight on the highways to see rifles with a sling on the shoulders of men who are supposed to be herdsmen. And no one asks questions. These herdsmen, if, indeed, they are herdsmen, are becoming terrors to their host communities engaging in kidnappings, robberies, rape of women and generally interrupting the lifestyles of those people in very cruel manner.

The disturbing aspect of the situation is that the political leaders who should be concerned are burying their heads in the sand, ostrich-like, hoping that it will go away. The Governor of Benue State, Mr Samuel Ortom, took his time before visiting Agatu. Even David Mark who is the Senator representing the area found time only last weekend to go and assess the extent of damage.

It is a known fact that the animals we see on the highways are not actually owned by those herding them. They belong to some well-placed people in the society, some of them in government. They are in a position to afford those guns and are influential enough to provide the political cover needed by those herdsmen to be able to use them with the kind of impunity that is so evident.

Credit: Leadership (Nigeria)