Fulani Herdsmen Crises - Jukuns Lament Alleged Silence, Inaction From Presidency

The Jukun people in Taraba State have lamented the alleged 'graveyard silence and inaction' from the presidency, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Northern State Governors' Forum over their plight in the Fulani herdsman and farmers' crises.

The people, through the Jukun Development Association of Nigeria (JDAN), highlighted the atrocities being allegedly committed daily by Fulani herdsmen in southern and central Taraba State and much of the states in North-central Nigeria, saying: "As we speak, hundreds of thousands of cows are occupying destroyed homes and farmlands across the region making sure that indigenous population never return to their homeland."

At a world press conference held in Lagos which was addressed by the association President, Bako Benjamin, the Jukun people said despite all these, "We and the entire people of Nigeria have waited patiently for strong words and actions from the presidency.

"But the silence is becoming disturbing and dangerous, more disturbing is the graveyard silence of our ACF and Northern Governors' Forum who have chosen to look the other way as fellow northerners are been butchered and displaced from their ancestral homes and being replaced by new Fulani herdsmen population."

Benjamin therefore stated that: "On behalf of the Jukun people all over the world and the traumatised Christian minority tribes in the North-central Nigeria, we call on the state and federal government of Nigeria to make a public pronouncement concerning these killings and displacements immediately to demonstrate concern and reassurance, otherwise the people of these regions will have no choice than to take drastic measures to defend themselves and protect their ancestral homes.

"We once again call on the Taraba State and federal government to immediately send security agents to forcefully send packing all Fulani herdsmen illegal occupying farming communities and arrest the perpetrators of these genocides including villages' heads and their collaborators."

The association noted that another "disturbing aspect of this discriminatory blood bath" is that the herdsmen always attribute "their wanton massacre to cattle rustling as the motives for the wanton killings, but facts on ground point to reported and documented cases with the laws enforcement agents rating in Jigawa, Kebbi and Zamfara States as the headquarters of cattle rustling in Nigeria.

"But curiously, Nigerians have never heard of any killing, burning of human beings, destruction of homes and farmlands and permanent arm occupation by Fulani herdsmen in farming communities in those areas."

JDAN therefore stated: "We want to make it abundantly clear to everyone today that this medieval styled territorial expansion and genocides in this 21st century is capable of triggering another round of Nigeria's second civil war if not checked immediately by the authorities.

"And Fulani herdsmen and supporters must be reminded that no matter how many millions of poor farmers being slaughtered by their hired Chad and Niger republic mercenaries, they cannot save their medieval profession that is outdated and dying a natural death."

By : Sunday Okobi