BY ALEX OLISE
It has been uncovered by National Daily that some top politicians holding sensitive public offices who hail from states in the northern part of Nigeria are the major sponsors of the dreaded Fulani Herdsmen.
National Daily gathered through investigation that the herdsmen who are also working for various politicians in the North to feed their cattle were also standby to be used to cause confusion during the 2019 elections seen to be very competitive.
A top security source disclosed to National Daily in course of this investigation that a lot of arms and ammunition have been imported through Niger Republic border, Chad and Republic of Cameroon by this crop of politicians who also claim to be farmers.
The source affirmed that the connections enjoyed by the gunmen with those sponsoring them who are in this top government position made the Herdsmen to have the much confidence to engage in killings and destruction of farmland in any part of the country because of their god fathers who are also in top security agencies.
Already, it has been exposed how the Fulani herdsmen move their arms and ammunition from far away North to the South and other parts of the country, by conveying them alongside the food stuffs and other items meant for sale.
Their kinsmen in the southern part of the country are on standby to receive such loads when they arrived their destination in the night.
This was a major reason why despite series of protests or attacks against any northerner in the east, Middle Belt or the southwest they refuse to leave instead they stay put believing that they can easily fight back.
Another source disclosed that the involvement of top public office holders in the nefarious attacks carried out by the Fulani herdsmen made it difficult for even the Presidency and the top echelon of both the military and the police to take proper action against the Fulani herdsmen as they move around all parts of Nigeria communities with illegal arms unchallenged by security forces except in occasion where there was outcry after the gunmen must have wrecked havoc resulting in many killings.
The Fulani herdsmen had gone on rampage in parts of Plateau and Delta State killing 27 and two innocent people respectively during the weekend. The fresh hostility had called for concern as the gunmen move from town to town attacking, maiming, raping and killing helpless citizens who are not prepared to fight back immediately.
Many security experts view the activities of Fulani herdsmen as extension of Boko Haram believing that the dreaded terror group had infiltrated the Herdsmen to extend their attacks to other parts of Nigeria in their quest to actualize Jihad in the country.
Reacting on the insecurity it pose to the wellbeing of the country, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) Yekini Jimoh, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) said the Police are working hard to arrest the Herdsmen and recover weapons.
According to him, most members of the gang have been arrested and will soon be charged to court as effort is still on to crack down on others.