THE FULANI HERDSMEN: THE LITMUS TEST FOR PRESIDENT BUHARI BY TUNDE ADENUGA

It is becoming a consistent trend that every democratically elected leader in Nigeria must confront a security monster and it is the handling of the monster that determines his fate afterwards. Obasanjo started with various tribal groups. Anyone who witnessed the menace between OPC and the Hausas at Idi-Araba and Iyana Ipaja over a decade ago would agree with me reasons these faction leaders, Chief Fasheun and Chief Gani Adams) had to lodge in Kuje prison for over four years.


Along that line, he had to also contend with the Biafra agitators led by Chief Uwazurike. The Biafra Chief had to make about 6 years rent available in a room apartment at the same
Kuje Prison. Then, the real war began by various factions in the Niger Delta led by Chief Asari Dokubo, Tompolo and Boyloaf. But the Chief that seemed to be more vocal among them had to be taken to an underground apartment in the same Kuje prison. Kuje finally became the house of Chiefs. The militant war of Niger Delta was the one that spelt doom for the entire tenure of two terms of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo . It got to a point, Nigeria's oil exportation was almost brought down to zero barrel per day. It was that tough.To Kidnap became the real business for the boys in the creeks.



All the albinos in Warri had to relocate to other parts of the country if you truly understand my point. To have peace in the country, the emergence of Dr GoodLuck Jonathan as vice president in Aso Rock became the Child of necessity to rescue the nation from collapsing. Even the power mongers in the North had to allow him. Obasanjo truly put OPC and Biafra agitators under control but the Niger Delta boys seemed to have had a legitimate war and regional bias and sympathy. So Dr Good luck Jonathan was the deal. Some votes didn't come from the North just because he had no shoes but the peace overshadowed all other interest. So, negotiation for the survival of our marriage of convenience of 1914 didn't just start today. I over heard some youth boasting of how President Buhari would handle Chief Tompolo that is refusing court order and I saw youths who should be recommended a book on sociology written by Max Weber. Not all wars you win with bullets As a custom, Jonathan had to face another war like situation. He finally secured the relative peace in the Niger Delta but the war against Bokoharam was the mountain that seemed to have swallowed him. His Anoldic and Rambolic skills for the last 6 weeks before the election could not convince most of the Northern voters. His so called effort of economic transformation didn't make sense either.

He just had to return to Otuoke. This is why the current President must be careful. He must be ready to face his own monster squarely. His monster is not the inherited Bokoharam but those guys I refer to as Trojans popularly called the Fulani Herdsmen. His own battle is like the case of a judge that needs to pronounce a capital judgement on his only son because he is also a herdsman. These Trojans seem to be killing at will. They go about with riffles. They seem to have a legal backing to end lives. They operate like gifted killers. They value the life of a cow than their fellow human being. Cows mean everything to them. They killed 100s in Benue under 48 hours, they sent many to their early graves in Taraba, they moved freely on farm land in Anambra, they were alleged to have kidnapped elder statesman in Ekiti, They injured many in Ibadan and crowned it with the last assault in Enugu in which over 20 families were forced into an unexpected funeral arrangements. At the moment, this group has been rated the 4th most dangerous group in the world in terms of number of people killed. How long can we continue with this?

 I overheard the minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed when he said the FG was handling the Herdsmen issue in secret. Why not treat them as bokoharam? Why not treat them as enemies of our survival. It seems many of them don't even know that killing is a crime. Some are even championing a Grazing Reserve Bill for them instead of advising them on private ranches. Isn't that another subtle negotiation with these killers? The earlier the president rises to the occasion, the faster he contains it in his tenure. At the moment, the President seems to be going about the issue in kid gloves.

 His relative silence or lack of response is worrisome. Or is it until the people begin to go about in weapons as a self defence? What the President will do in the next couple of weeks will determine that and a lot .

 God bless Nigeria