Enugu attacks: Do we have brains?

By EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO

IN his classic titled, “You have a brain”, the American renowned brain surgeon and erstwhile Republican Party’s presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson went about providing the world with what he rightly termed “a teen’s guide to T.H.I.N.K. B.I.G.”

This exceptionally brilliant medical surgeon and prolific writer made a confession in that beautiful book to the effect that he thought himself brainless and meaningless not until his Mother made him to understand that even amidst bullying from school mates and the constant harassment of his peers he indeed has brain to think big.

His words: “when I was a child, I did not think that my brain was capable of doing much of anything. My classmates considered me the class dummy, and I saw no reason to debate their conclusion. My mother however, always believed in me. She knew I had a brain and she was convinced that brain could be my ticket to a bigger, better world beyond our tiny home and life on the big city streets of Detroit. And she was right.”

A philosophical impression that these thoughts brings is that a rational being created by the uncreated Force (God) has the potentials to rise from the ashes of self-inflicted stupidity to become internationally acclaimed and successful.

Ben Carson’s book brings us to the pertinent question that has confronted this writer since the advent of the rampaging violent attacks by armed Fulani thugs.

These mass murderers in the garb of Fulani herdsmen have in the last couple of years waged relentless but brutal violence against farming communities all across the country.

To add salt to injury, these Fulani herdsmen have operated with renewed and reinvigorated gusto and tempo of these ferocious attacks since President Muhammadu Buhari, a fellow Fulani by tribe emerged last year as President of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These armed Fulani herdsmen have almost overran Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna State and have now taken their blood cuddling violence farther to the Southern States amongst which are Enugu and Delta States and the armed security forces do nothing but watch as these communities are turned into rivers of blood and agonies. May be, the Nigerian armed forces think Nigerians without force of arms are morons without brains.

The Enugu scenarios immediately come into mind because of the clear lack of political will on the part of the National Armed Forces to tackle these menacingly frightening attacks.

The successes and rapidity of these attacks of armed Fulani herdsmen against communities in the South Eastern State of Enugu and the fact that the security forces are always caught napping brings the question of whether Nigerians indeed have brains, into greater focus.

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Ever imagined that before the first armed Fulani invasion of Nibo community in Enugu State few weeks back, the then Police Commissioner Mr. Nwodibo Ekechukwu was said to have informed the Enugu State Security Council headed by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi that his men have got the accurate intelligence that the plotters of the invasion of Nibo community would launch their attack from Kogi State and that the precise position has been decoded.

He was heavily mobilized by the Governor allegedly with the needed logistics which in Nigeria means money to mobilize his men and operatives to prevent the attacks from ever happening.

What did this police officer do? He simply went to bed and did nothing. Practically nothing.
On the exact date the armed Fulani invaders indicated that they would attack came and they unleashed their venoms killing scores of villagers predictably.

The police and several other armed security forces stayed away until the evil intentions of the armed Fulani marauders had been completed before soldiers were quickly drafted around Enugu to protect Fulani people from reprisals.
I ask, do we have brains?

This question begs for an answer and in no time another batch of armed Fulani attackers struck in another Enugu community.

This second vicious violent attack by armed Fulani herdsmen happened few meters away from the office of the Enugu State Governor and even nearer to the headquarters of the 82 division of the Nigerian Army.

Now, a division of the armed forces in the Nigerian context is made up of thousands of well trained and armed soldiers.

How come armed Fulani attackers were never caught even when they struck next door to the 82 division of the Nigerian Army? Who gave them the sophisticated guns they used?
In the second of these deadly attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen, the security forces perfectly went to bed whilst the attacks that took many lives in Attakwu town lasted and as I write there is yet no scientific and evidence- based clue as to where the killers are.

The Nigerian Police Force which the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 gives the fundamental duty of preventing such callous crime from ever happening in the first place was again caught napping.

Part 4 of the Administration of criminal Justice Act of 2015 is devoted to what the drafters of the law calls “prevention of offence and security for good behavior.”

Article 50 (1) of the Act says: “A Police Officer may intervene for the purpose of preventing, and shall to the best of his ability prevent the commission of and offence.”

In the hierarchical orders of human rights, the inherent right to life is sacrosanct in compliance with global best practices, international humanitarian laws and chapter four of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly in Section 33 (1).
Section 33 (1) of the Constitution says: “Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life.” Are Enugu people’s lives so cheap?

The offence of murder comes with a heavy prize such as the capital conviction of death by firing squad under our laws and statutes but persons masquerading as herdsmen have continued to spread their satanic tentacles all around Nigeria and the government of President Buhari just stand by and the rest of us are watching like people without brains.

The saddest thing is that religious and ethnic warlords are busy debating the identities of these mass murderers even when the hand writing on the walls are very clear that these perpetrators are armed Fulani Nigerian herdsmen who indeed usually tell their host communities that they would visit violence on them for failing to let the herders destroy the crops in the farms of these villagers.

For instance, the two attacks in Enugu were allegedly carried out by Fulani herdsmen who set up settlements in the bushes around these affected communities and the irrational reason for the attacks are the same as I have mentioned above.

ALSO SEE: Police asks Fulani, farmers to end isolated killing, cattle rustling

In Godogodo, Kaduna State, many villagers have been killed by armed Fulani herdsmen. A spokesman of Miyetti Allah society- the umbrella Fulani body told the press that attacks were revenge missions for the killing of a Fulani traditional ruler. Nigeria has become so lawless that persons simply arm themselves pick and choose their targets and execute their deadly plans and the next day government comes up with the brainless idea of a so called dialogues and the killers whose filthy hands are soaked deeply in the blood of fallen compatriots are allowed to move around unmolested as if some persons are sacred cows.

How on Earth will someone as educated as the sultan of Sokoto say that Foreign herders were behind the various attacks when the victims of such vicious attacks have clearer picture of who the attackers were?

What kind of crass insensitivity is this?
Are we so brainless that we keep tolerating these genocidal killings only to engage in some form of semantic debates that debases our humanity and rationality?

Why the question if indeed we have brains and why are we not doing something to stop the armed Fulani attacks and use lawful means to bring the perpetrators to Justice?

This question is necessary today because the press is again filled with the stories of planned armed Fulani attacks in the same Enugu State and with the benefit of hindsight the security forces are either compromised or are so incompetent to stop the attacks whenever these satanic forces decide to inflict their blood cuddling violence for the umpteenth time.

Worst still, no security chief would be punished for dereliction of duty and life will continue as if the dead were not once part of the living.

From Enugu comes two contradictory stories even as one of it was from the security forces saying no attack would be allowed but from the House of Assembly in Enugu State, the members who live amongst their people are warning that armed Fulani herdsmen have threatened to attack.

In the first of the two contradictory stories, the Security agencies in Enugu State comprising the police, the army and the Department State Services (SSS) have assured Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuany and the people of Aku Community in IgboEtiti Local Government Area that the security of lives and property in the area will be guaranteed.

The assurance, which came on the heels of a rumoured planned attack on the community following an alleged report of clash between the community and some herdsmen, was given by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Igbo-Etiti Police Division, Ifeanyi Nwoye, when the governor visited the community.

Nwoye said the security agencies were fully on ground in the area and mobilised to protect the lives and property of the people, allaying fears of any planned attack on the community.

Ugwuanyi was in the community upon receiving a distress call from a priest and principal of St. James Boys Secondary School, Aku, Rev. Fr. Patrick Ujah, over the rumored planned attack.

ALSO SEE: Oyo OPC reads riot act to Fulani herdsmen in the state

The principal, who received the governor at the school’s premises, commended him for his prompt response to his call, saying the gesture was an indication that he is a responsive leader who cares for his people.

Addressing the gathering, the security agencies urged the people not to panic over the rumor and go about their lawful businesses, stressing that they were on top of the situation.

“The people should not panic. You all have our phone numbers and should reach us if there is any suspicious activity or movement by any person or group of persons,” the DPO said.

On his part, the governor charged the security personnel in the area to be committed to their promise to secure the area and called on the people to remain law-abiding and cooperate with the security agencies to ensure peace and harmony in the area.

However, the Member representing Awgu North Constituency at the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye, has cried out to well-meaning Nigerians to come to save people of Enugu state from Fulani herdsmen in systemic plan to wipe them out.

He said since security agencies that should protects the people only side the herdsmen whenever they attacked host communities, “we have no option than to beckons Nigerians to help us”.

Ude-Okoye who made the plea on the floor of the House recently, was reacting to recent attack carried out on Attakwu-Akegbe, Nkanu West Local Government of the state at which a seminarian and a woman were murdered and three others seriously injured.

The lawmaker who cast his mind back to the mayhem carried out on Ukpabi-Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of the state, lamented that the herdsmen have threatened to attack another community, Aku in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.

Afraid that if nothing is done and urgently, too, the state is under threat of extinction and pleaded with Nigerians to “come and help us.”

“I wish to condemn an act that has been going on by the Fulanis. I wish to stand here to condemn it. Let other Nigerians help us since the Nigerian Police cannot protect us but rather to protect the Fulanis.

“There is no reason why they, the Fulani herdsmen, should come to our place to kill us,” he laments and opined that God would hear the cry of Enugu people someday.

Ude-Okoye who was sore displeased what the Fulani herdsmen have been doing in the state in recent time raping women, destroying farmlands, kidnapping and armed robbery among other things, called on all and sundry to come and help the helpless Enugu State before a more heinous act would be carried out.

Speaker of the House, Hon. Edward Uchenna Ubosi, who welcomed members to the House after over a month recess, presented to the legislators the new Clerk of the House, Barr. Dr. Emmanuel Udeagha who replaced the former Clerk, Mr. Christopher Chukwurah.

Ubosi thanked the Acting Clerk, Nebo who held forte after the retirement of Chukwurah for the able way he performed.

The speaker promised to put smiles on the staff of the assembly in appreciation for how they have been a help to smooth working of the Assembly. You can see a speaker of a state legislature who seems lost as to how to respond to the distress calls of his people but is more interested in tge banality of welcoming the new clerk.

Do these legislators in Enugu State have brains?
My next question is to the Enugu State House of Assembly, it goes thus: do you have brains?

If the members of the Enugu State house of Assembly indeed have brains as Dr. Ben Carson wants us to believe, why then wouldn’t they pass a law to bring into being effective community vigilante guards to be drafted and equipped to secure their villages and towns to compliment the police and armed forces whose loyalty to their constitutional duty is questionable?

In part two of the Constitution, section 4(7) “the house of Assembly of a State shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the State or any part thereof.”

Once more let me use the mass media to appeal to stakeholders in Enugu and the governor to please set up functional Civilian-JTF to protect the communities. Enough of these attacks.

• Emmanuel Onwubiko is the Head of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria and blogs @ www.emmanuelonwubiko.com and can be reached on [email protected]