The
Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu has
described as a crime and a hate speech, an article titled "Herdsmen from
Hell" which was released yesterday by two time minister, Femi Fani
Kayode . In the article, Fani-Kayode described Fulani herdsmen as the
east African tsetse fly that suck the life blood out of their hosts
wherever they go..
If there was ever a time to remember the words of Haile Selassie and speak out against evil this is it. With the abduction of the elder statesman and June 12th struggle hero,
Anyone that doubts this should ask the people of the north central zone what they have been suffering in the hands of these vagabonds and vagrants for the last 50 years. This is especially so in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kwara, Nassarawa, Taraba and Adamawa states.
Can there be any truth in the suggestion that there was some kind of official collusion in the abduction? Was it an attempt to put Falae, and by extension the Yoruba, in their place for vigorously supporting the idea of a national conference?
Another curious twist to the tale is the fact that it took the Buhari administration two days to make any formal announcement on Falae's abduction and just the day after they finally did so the elder statesman was suddenly released.
The question is this: who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes and who is attempting to test our resolve and test the waters?
According to the chairman of NHRC this is unacceptable and must be stopped. He said the NHRC will be contacting the police over the article."Like the locust, they destroy everything in their path. They are like leeches: they indulge in a parasitic mode of nutrition and they suck the blood of the carcass until their victim is left for dead. Like the Arab Janjaweed, they are only known for the most hideous of things. This includes terror, intimidation, theft, murder, rape, abduction, mutilation, the violation of the rights of others, the destruction of the land and crops of farmers and the destruction of property".
See the full text of Fani=Kayode's article below
THE HERDSMEN FROM HELL
"Throughout
history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the
indifference of those who should have known better and the silence of
the voice of justice when it mattered most that has made it possible for
evil to triumph"- His Royal Majesty Haile Selassie 1, Emperor of
Ethiopia.
If there was ever a time to remember the words of Haile Selassie and speak out against evil this is it. With the abduction of the elder statesman and June 12th struggle hero,
Chief
Olu Falae, from his home by a group of Fulani herdsmen in south western
Nigeria it is time for us to seriously consider the expulsion of all
Fulani herdsmen from the southern part of our country.
We
thank God and commend the efforts of the Inspector-General of the
Nigerian police that Chief Falae was returned home safely after a
harrowing three days.
Given
his status in Yoruba land, had this not been so there would have been
cataclysmic consequences for the unity of our country.
It
is because we wish to avoid such a scenario that it is important that
we get these marauders and vandals out of our territory as quickly as
possible.
This
is especially so given the fact that, by Falae's testimony, it is clear
that the Fulani herdsmen that abducted him were working hand in hand
with Boko Haram.
These
herdsmen have become the pests of our nation. They are like the east
African tsetse fly: wherever they go they suck the life blood out of
their hosts and, like the locust, they destroy everything in their path.
They
are like leeches: they indulge in a parasitic mode of nutrition and
they suck the blood of the carcass until their victim is left for dead.
Like
the Arab Janjaweed, they are only known for the most hideous of things.
This includes terror, intimidation, theft, murder, rape, abduction,
mutilation, the violation of the rights of others, the destruction of
the land and crops of farmers and the destruction of property.
Anyone that doubts this should ask the people of the north central zone what they have been suffering in the hands of these vagabonds and vagrants for the last 50 years. This is especially so in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kwara, Nassarawa, Taraba and Adamawa states.
Yet
up until 20 years ago this was essentially a northern problem and it
did not affect the south. Sadly that has changed. It has now become a
national plague that knows no boundaries and whose poison threatens to
consume us all.
In
the last few years the Fulani herdsmen have attacked, ravaged and
pillaged many rural communities south of the River Niger and they have
slaughtered and raped thousands of innocent people in the south-south,
the south-east and the south-western zones of our country.
We
recall how, after a violent clash between them and some Yoruba farmers
in Oyo state in 2000, General Buhari (as he then was) led a strong
delegation of northern leaders to see the late Governor of Oyo state,
Governor Lam Adeshina. On arrival Buhari put the following question to
him: "why are YOUR people killing MY people?" This was a classic case of
a Freudian slip.
The
Bible says ‘’out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks’’. The
general had spoken his mind. Governor Adeshina was shocked with
disbelief and he responded by telling Buhari that he was rather
surprised that a former Head of State would refer to one ethnic group as
"his’’ people whilst referring to another as someone elses'.
He
said that this was especially so given the fact that people were killed
on both sides of the divide in what was a sad and unfortunate conflict.
The
insensitivity of Buhari to the Yoruba farmers and their plight in the
hands of the Fulani raiders was noted from that moment on. Ever since
that conversation took place the lines have been drawn and the south
west has been on alert.
The
abduction of Falae may well have brought things to a head because today
virtually every self-respecting Yoruba man is calling for strong
resistance to these alien cattle-rearers whose criminal activities have
led to nothing but blood, tears and carnage.
If the government refuses to stop them then it is very clear that some communities may end up doing so themselves.
Yet
there is an even more sinister dimension to this problem than most
people care to admit. That dimension is best illustrated by the
following question.
Can
there be any truth in the assertion that the Fulani herdsmen are
nothing less than the vanguard and covert armed wing of the Fulani
ruling class which has managed to infiltrate the south under the
ingenious guise of selling cows?
Are
they sleeper cells of a much bigger army and a much wider cause? Are
they, as Falae has suggested, working hand in hand with Boko Haram?
If
a major conflict were to arise would those sleeper cells be activated
and would they commence the wholesale slaughter of the indigenous
population in their host states? As painful as it may appear these are
questions that we must ask.
The
fact that the herdsmen demanded for a 100 million naira ransom from
Falae speaks volumes. The question is this: what do mere cattle-rearers
want with 100 million naira?
Even
more instructive is the fact that when they were offered 2 million
naira they responded by saying that that amount would not be enough for
Boko Haram.
Given
all this it is clear to me that we must begin to look at the wider
picture. We must accept the ugly reality that there may be more to all
this than meets the eye.
This
is especially so given the fact that up until the time of writing this
piece not one of Falae's captors has been apprehended by the police and
they seem to have vanished into thin air. One wonders what transpired.
Were they granted amnesty or are they ghosts?
Can there be any truth in the suggestion that there was some kind of official collusion in the abduction? Was it an attempt to put Falae, and by extension the Yoruba, in their place for vigorously supporting the idea of a national conference?
Is
it an attempt to intimidate those from the south west that opposed
President Buhari in the 2015 presidential elections? If so it will not
work.
Afenifere,
the leading socio-cultural group of the south west of which Falae is a
leading member, and the Yoruba people generally have a way of rising to
the occasion when they are threatened, cheated or persecuted. History
proves that.
Worthy
of note are the words of Dr. Frederick Fasheun and Otunba Gani Adams,
both leaders of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) in this matter. Only the
unwise would ignore their counsel.
Another curious twist to the tale is the fact that it took the Buhari administration two days to make any formal announcement on Falae's abduction and just the day after they finally did so the elder statesman was suddenly released.
The question is this: who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes and who is attempting to test our resolve and test the waters?
Whatever
the answer to these questions are one thing remains clear. The days of
killing people with impunity and stripping them of their lands and
possessions are long over.
The
Fulani herdsmen may well believe that they have one of their own in the
Villa today but that does not mean that they will get away with their
murderous ways or their sheer impunity.
It
is most unwise for them to continue to test the resolve of the people
of the south in this way. I say this because collectively southerners
are slow to anger but irresistible in battle.
When
pushed to the wall they often indulge in what Dr. Amanze Obi, the
respected columnist for Nigeria's Sun newspaper, once described as
''southern fury''.
Permit
me to conclude this intervention with an interesting and relevant
contribution from the famous British historian, writer and
educationalist Dr. T.R. Batten. He wrote:
"The
Fulani were at their most influential in Gobir.Then a dispute broke out
between their Imam, Usman Dan Fodiyo and Sarkin Gobir Yunfa.The Fulani
rallied behind their leader who encouraged them to defy their Hausa
Chief. He began a jihad and fighting broke out. Thus the Fulani seized
the country by force against the will of those who lived there. The
enmity had nothing to do with religion for among those who fought
(against the Fulani) were many Muslims. It was about the Fulani's wish
to seize power from the Hausas."
It
follows that the herdsman and those that they represent conquer by
infiltration, assimilation and guile. Those that doubt this should find
out what became of the ancient Hausa kingdoms. May God deliver us from
the vagabonds and vagrants in our midst.
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