Boko Haram infiltrates herdsmen

By CYPRIAN AJAH, Abuja

• Engages Fulani militia in attacking communities

and some parts of the South West is degenerating into a frightening dimension with recent discoveries that the pastoral farmers have been infiltrated by Boko Haram insurgents.
Reliable sources disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents may have, in disguise, taken over the assault on communities by the Fulani herdsmen in furtherance of their terrorist activities.

This was said to have given rise to high frequency of violent attacks, killings and destruction of property in several communities, in recent times.

Available information reveals that the Fulani militia operates in special uniform; several stakeholders in the North have identified the militia to be operating in black uniform, and sometimes, wear army camouflage to beguile inhabitants of local communities in unleashing mayhem on them. They were said to be moving a little distance separate from the cattle and herdsmen.

They operate mostly in sporadic attacks and escape into the bush where they regroup to plan further attacks. They are described to be heavily armed with sophisticated weapons which include AK47, Mark IV, modern riffles and others.

Our sources stated that though the original Fulani herdsmen are not immune from violence but that they were initially not armed like the militia who now terrorize communities and kill the inhabitants.

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Accordingly, the Deputy Governor of Benue State, Benson Abounu, reacting to the recent massacre in Agatu, said the herdsmen now constitute Fulani militia, affirming they wear black uniform and are armed with sophisticated weapons with which they kill the local inhabitants.

The magnitude of killings in local communities without firm preventive actions by the federal government has made several stakeholders begin to suspect that the Fulani are on the mission to Islamise Nigeria.

The invasion and assault on communities has been more frequent over the years in Nassarawa and Benue states. The conflicts were often between the herdsmen and farmers whose farmlands were being destroyed by cattle.

Dr. Frederick Faseun, had in an interview with National Daily, said that the Fulani herdsmen have their principals back home in the north who induce them to invade and attack communities in the south. He had admonished that the Fulani should stay clear the Yoruba land in their ambiti0on to occupy territories outside the northern region.

As disquieting voices continue to rise against their atrocities, the Fulani herdsmen struck at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, last weekend where they carried out alleged invasion and destruction of the institution’s farmlands.

The Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Taiwo Akande, had disclosed in Ado-Ekiti that the institution lost several millions in monetary terms to the Fulani assault.

“This menace of these herdsmen has been most destructive on many of our demonstration farms and pilot plantations. It is most painful to also disclose that some of the pilot farm projects, academic, research demonstration farms and recently established plantations on which we pinned our hope for future revenue enhancement have been destroyed one after the other by these people,” the rector had declared.

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She explained hoe the herdsmen will bring their animals to the campus environment to eat up every green thing in sight. She further said that this systematic destruction of the institution’s farms and project has been on for over two years.

Earlier, the Fulani herdsmen had invaded Agatu Local Government Area, Benue State, penultimate on the claim that over 10,000 cattle were killed by the people.

The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, had organized a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi involving the herdsmen and inhabitants of Agatu after the invasion.

But Akpalduh, spokesperson of Agatu, said at the meeting that the Fulani were bent on taking over Agatu’s land. This, he said, made them recruit mercenaries to wipe outthe Agatu populace.

He decried that conflicts have escalated to a war situation where women, children and the elderly were massacred indiscriminately by the Fulani.

The IG of Police had to enjoin the Fulani and their host communities to cease hostilities and learn to live in peace and harmony despite their social, cultural and religious differences.

Former Senate President, David Mark, was particularly worried by the scale of destruction he saw while he was on inspection of the eight communities destroyed by the Fulani herdsmen.

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The Fulani struck again last week at Agatu where several lives were lost.

Some stakeholders, including Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State accused President Buhari of being reticent over the Fulani massacre of innocent people and the corresponding wanton destruction of property. They expressed the fear that the Fulani may be having the support of the federal government.

Meanwhile, security operatives have not made any official statement to confirm the infiltration of Boko Haram into the camp of Fulani herdsmen.

The only controversial statement made by the police is that the herdsmen are not Nigerians but nationals from neighbouring West African countries like Senegal, Mali, and others.

However, security sources revealed that security operatives are on the trail of the violent herdsmen.