By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja

THE Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has raised the alarm that some elites and elected public officers were bent on manipulating the herdsmen crisis in parts of the country to create fear among Nigerians and cause a major war involving groups and regions.

A statement on Friday by NEF’s Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said there were attempts to create multiple sources of falsehoods and other inflammatory materials related to the herdsmen debacle with a view to inciting the people to act violently against each other.

He said the latest communication from the Yoruba Council of Elders to the United Nation was proof of efforts to also lobby the international community into believing that some ethnic groups were intent on mass extermination of other groups.

So, the Forum advised President Muhammadu Buhari and the 36 State Governors to consult and explore measures that will lower the tensions and assure all Nigerians every citizen has an equal right to live in secure environments.

The statement reads, “The Northern Elders Forum is constrained to invite the nation’s attention to the dangers of sustained attempts to raise tensions and create fear among Nigerians until, presumably, they lead to a major crisis involving groups and regions in the country.

“In the last few weeks, we have led many responsible groups and individuals to appeal for restraint and respect for the law in the way we engineer developments that cause tensions or react to them.

“Now the nation is facing imminent threats from persons who are bent on pushing all of us nearer to disaster, to help them achieve their nefarious goals.

“The Forum particularly notes that continuing narratives and threats, including comments from seemingly responsible Nigerians and even elected officials who swore to protect the rights of all citizens and the survival of the country, are raising fears and passions that could make it easy to break more laws of the land and pitch citizens against each other.

“There are efforts to create multiple sources of falsehood in videos and other inflammatory materials in the media clearly targeted at inciting people to act violently against each other.

“Allegations of planned or actual genocide are being made with reckless abandon, and even the international community is being lobbied in futile efforts to sell the fiction that some groups are intent on mass extermination of other groups.

“The latest communication from the Yoruba Council of Elders to the United Nations is an example of lamentable desperation of some groups to erode our security and integrity as a country, and it is more regrettable that it is the handiwork of so-called elders who should forfeit all rights to that honour.”

“The Forum commits to continue to work to retrieve the country from the dangerous cliff where it has been placed by irresponsible people, many of them in positions of responsibility.”

The Northern elders said they plan to meet with governors in the North and South to improve responsible collaboration and synergy.

“We also intend to visit the communities where we have the influence to lower tensions and provide assurances and comfort.

“We repeat our demands that Fulani who has broken no laws must be protected from abuse wherever they are. We ask all governments to identify criminals among the Fulani and subject them to the laws of the land.

“Similarly, we demand the cessation of threats and attacks by local ethnic defenders on Fulani communities. People who have broken the law by attacking and harassing Fulani for just being Fulani must be brought to book.

“We encourage all law-abiding herders to stay put and seek protection, and if they cannot be protected, to relocate to safer areas in the country.

“We urge northern governors to prepare to receive law-abiding Fulani herders who may be compelled to relocate.

“We urge all northerners to assure  Nigerians from other parts of the country that they are safe and welcome to continue to stay in the north.

“The Forum repeats: it is not a crime to be a member of any ethnic group, and no one has the right to attempt to expel any Nigerian from places where they live lawfully.

“The Forum advises President Muhammadu Buhari and Governors to consult and explore measures that will lower tensions and assure all Nigerians that we live in a country where laws have meanings, and all citizens have equal rights to live in secure environments.

“The fight against armed criminals must be pursued on all fronts and a lot more seriously. The criminal must not reap from the suspicions and fears which his activities also generate,” the statement added.

Source

This is one of those news that we need to LOG here for future purposes, because it contains points of discussion which needs to be properly explored and dissected.

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Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said there were attempts to create multiple sources of falsehoods and other inflammatory materials related to the herdsmen debacle with a view to inciting the people to act violently against each other.

He said the latest communication from the Yoruba Council of Elders to the United Nation was proof of efforts to also lobby the international community into believing that some ethnic groups were intent on mass extermination of other groups.

The man making this statement -Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed - is a well educated Fulani man, and therefore is well grounded in logic. So, he is fully competent to answer simple questions about this matter.

The question is this:

If a FOREIGN man goes to another man's ancestral land and: kills the farmers working the land, KILL the men seen anywhere on site in the bushes, RAPES (and sometimes kill) ALL women of ALL ages found in the farms and bushes, and dares the hosts to do their worst, what is the TRUE motive of such FOREIGN man?
What is he REALLY trying to do?

For years, the Northern political (mainly Fulani) elite have tried to parse this as a "farmer/herder clash" as if ALL farmers and herdsmen were ever of the same GEOPOLITICAL AND REGIONAL origins. Fact is that they are NOT.

Another fact is that Nigeria is NOT one "nation". Nigeria is a COUNTRY trying to form one nation. It has not succeeded in 61 years so far.

Nigeria is the size of France, Britain and Germany combined, both in landmass and in population.
How can a German man travel to England and start killing and raping women there? Is that remotely possible? Wouldn't that lead to a major war?

THAT IS THE ISSUE.

The German and the English (or the French for that matter) can never be assumed to be aboriginal to the same geographical space in Europe. When the British colonialists came to "Niger area" they found VASTLY DIFFERENT PEOPLES and simply lobbed them together for administrative convenience.

Nigeria was founded by MANY NATIONS. FACT.

Nigeria is NOT ethno-religiously homogeneous. The "Farmer/herder clash" lie assumes that both are aboriginal to the same geographical space. It is a lie. That is the surreptitious lie being packaged and sold by Fulani intelligentsia that the Dr Baba Ahmeds of this world represents.

Such moves are insulting to the populations of Southern Nigerians who are FAR MORE EDUCATED than the Fulani.

This point must be made.

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This point needs to be doubly emphasized:

Nigeria has seen nearly all kinds of crimes over the years: armed robbery, pick-pocketing, larceny/grand theft (otherwise called "corruption" in Nigeria), murder, kidnapping, rape, 419, etc.

What Nigeria has NEVER seen before is this SYSTEMATIC invasion of lands by foreigners of one ethnic group coming from even as far away as Mali, in which they kill and rape, and are NEVER brought to justice.

And they do it to send a message. Two stories that I recall cement this opinion.

In Abia state, they captured a man, his wife and his 16 year old virgin daughter. They forced the man to watch as they took turns raping his wife, and violently raping his virgin daughter while she called her father to save her -IN VAIN.
And this happened in Abia state (Isiukwuato to be specific). In Igboland.
What where those Fulani herdsmen trying do to this man? Isn't this a psychological warfare to essential emasculate and humiliate this man? To tell him that he is a captive and slave in his land. That is the OPEN message.

And they were NEVER apprehended.

Another of such story happened in the South West involving a family that returned from abroad during which a 9 year old girl and her mother of course were savagely raped by the same people.

The question is how do you co-habit a geographical space with people who clearly want you out of the way (as demonstrated by actions rather than words), and who constantly send these types of messages to you?

I can't speak for other ethnic groups, but I know that Igbo ancestors went to war for far less provocation.

Most men of my father's era owned at least two guns throughout their lives, but today Igbo men pretend that they can keep their lands without it. I don't blame these invaders, honestly, because aboriginals need to be beaten back to his ancestral senses.
But the Fulani of Dr Ahmed should not point accusing fingers when the repercussions start coming.

Solution?

DISARM FULANI HERDSMEN IMMEDIATELY!

If that is not done, then Nigeria is at war - imposed by the Fulani.

FACT!