It was Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman that said: “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to keep silent.”
That is the ruin and the depredation silence can cause in the face of evil. When those who are to speak up in order to nip certain mischievous tendencies in the bud decide to keep quiet, evil thrives.
For those who care to spare a thought on recent happenings, national peace and to some extent, the very corporate existence of Nigeria is being threatened, at least, in some parts of the country, by the nefarious activities of some herdsmen.
In recent times, these cattle herders have traversed the length and breadth of this country in search of pasture for their livestock. This obsolete method of cattle rearing has pitched them (the herdsmen) against the host communities. Nearly everywhere they settle for grazing, there has always been one tale of terror or the other, unleashed by these people against their host communities. The same tale of woes were told of Plateau, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, Benue, Ekiti, Kogi states, and much recently, Enugu, to mention a few. Each of these places mentioned have witnessed massive killings, destruction of farmlands, raping of women, robbery, kidnapping and other social vices perpetrated by the armed Fulani herdsmen, who are now seen as confidently living above the laws of the land. The commando, and of course, the impunitive style with which they carry out the onslaught can only be likened to that of the hitherto dreaded Boko Haram. Reports had it that the Fulani herdsmen are the fourth most vicious terror organization in the whole world.
While these attacks are being carried out, however without any end in sight, what is surprisingly notable is Present Muhammadu Buhari’s dead silence on the whole issue.
While the entire nation in particular, and the world at large expect the president and commander -in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to issue a strong statement, as well as take drastic action against these useless protracted and malicious attacks by the Fulani herdsmen, it has been to everyone’s chagrin, that the number one citizen, being a Fulani himself, has adopted the unpopular style of keeping silent whenever his kinsmen strike, and their victims are counting their losses.
President Buhari has in recent times threatened to deal with the Niger -Delta militants in the same manner as Boko Haram if the proposed dialogue with the Federal government failed.
In a twist of fate, the Buhari -led government should be applauded for the giant strides so far taken to decimate Boko Haram. Be that as it may, a replication of same efforts towards the Fulani herdsmen insurgency would be given thumbs up. That will be a right step in the right direction.
The chairman of Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria (PFN ), Enugu state chapter, Rev Goddy Madu, having described the Fulani herdsmen as Boko Haram in disguise after the killing of a seminarian and a woman in Attakwu community in Enugu state last August, lamented that President Buhari ‘s silence over the killings is fuelling continuous attacks. In his statement published in Vanguard newspapers on September 7,2016: “We are not happy over the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari over these attacks. He is busy going after Boko Haram and Niger -Delta militants, neglecting the issue of Fulani herdsmen “.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the impunitive disposition of the Fulani herdsmen across the nation is stoking the ire of well meaning Nigerians.
Exasperated by the massacre of several hapless natives of Enugu state in the past five months by the killer herdsmen, the Civil Liberty Organization (CLO) recently alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s inaction on these killings suggests that he is behind the dastardly acts. The CLO lamented a situation where the president is hasty to commiserate with other countries of the world when they are befallen by the same orgy, wondering whether he has an agenda for Nigeria for not showing serious concern over the spate of killings.
In the wake of this silence, one wonders why the Buhari -led federal government would deploy a thousand soldiers to combat armed gangs and cattle rustlers said to be terrorizing residents of Zamfara state. Yet the same federal government has not spared a soldier to challenge the Fulani herdsmen terrorizing several parts of Nigeria.
Psychologically speaking, In the light of inaction from government regarding these spate of killings, we have a serious security challenge in a our hands. What if the victims of these attacks resort to reprisals against their killers, especially while the much anticipated justice is not forthcoming, a crisis which could have been nipped in the bud if proactive steps were taken?
Kudos to Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, for signing into law the ‘Anti -grazing Bill 2016.’ Most Nigerians, while applauding Mr Fayose, view this drastic step as a response to the failure on the part of the Federal government, to rise to the occasion. This law is devoid of any ethnic Or religious coloration. It is a right step in the right direction, which can only be taken by a leader who feels the pains of his followers.
_Joseph Orjime Wrote from Abuja. [myad]
