How Sen. Abaribe ‘stoke fire’, unsettled Presidency

The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, on Monday held President Muhammadu Buhari accountable for not addressing the Nigerians on the disturbing violent upsurge of Fulani herdsmen and the emerging threats of warfare across Nigeria. The Senate Minority Leader had on the morning programme – Sunrise Daily – on Channels Television, monitored from Lagos on Monday, said that the president needs to make clear statement that he does not support the violent crimes unleashed on Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen. Senator Abaribe challenged President Buhari that eh ahs never come out to make categorical statement on the killer herdsmen, saying that this bolden the herdsmen to commit more crimes.

Abaribe had declared: “The President needs to come out and say I do not support these types of actions, these criminal elements. “He has to come out and everybody sees that he is owning this problem.

But “We have never heard it.

“Where did the President ever say that these criminal herdsmen will never be tolerated in this country? What we have heard from 2016 all the way down is ‘live in peace with your neighbour’ and ‘try to accommodate your countrymen’ and stuff of that nature.

“And that now enables those who are committing these crimes, that there is no punishment.

“And when you see the rest of the country, eruptions here and there, all targeted at a particular segment of people, you should be very worried. And why you should be very worried is, what is it that gives these people the impetus to continue to commit these crimes?”

The declaration by Abaribe steered up certain claims or revelations by the presidency through the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Shehu Garba, saying that criminal herders are being arrested and tried. He also revealed that statements made by him and Femi Adesina, S.A. Media to the president, should be taken as statements by the president.

Nigerians are yet to witness the arrest or trial of killer herdsmen in the country. Indeed, the Nigerian government has defended them more over the years than take genuine law enforcement actions.

The statements of the media aides to be taken as statement of the president merely substantiate the skepticism of most Nigerians over who is really in charge of the Buhari administration.

There are indications that the Abaribe salvo have caused mix-up in the presidency, making defence of government actions difficult for the principal officers.