IN what must rank as one of the most unfortunate statements ever uttered by a government official, the Minister of Defence, Brigadier-General Mansur Dan-Alli (retd.), recently claimed that the enactment of anti-grazing laws by some states was the immediate cause of killings by herdsmen. The minister, who made the claim while briefing journalists at the end of a security council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, blamed the enactment of such laws on the unwillingness of the affected communities to accommodate their fellow Nigerians. He said: “Since the nation’s Independence, we know there used to be routes where the cattle rearers took because they are all over the nation. You go to Bayelsa, Ogun, you will see them. If those routes are blocked, what do you expect will happen? These people are Nigerians. It is just like going to block the shoreline, does that make sense to you? These are the remote causes of the crisis. But the immediate cause is the grazing law. These people are Nigerians and we must learn to live together with each other. Communities and other people must learn how to accept foreigners within their enclave. Finish!”
Naturally, Ali’s statement provoked ire in the polity. For instance, a pro-democracy group, Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), blamed the imbalance in the composition of the National Defence Council for the pro-killer herdsmen comments made by the Minister of Defence. As noted by the National Coordinator of the group, Emmanuel Onwubiko, “Nigerians expect the holder of the high office of Defence Minister to be patriotic enough to denounce blood-cuddling terror attacks orchestrated by suspected armed herdsmen, but what has come out from the meeting of President Buhari’s security council as relayed by the Defence Minister shows that the current administration has no intention to arrest, prosecute and, where possible, punish the perpetrators of the killings in Benue, Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa and Enugu states.”
On his part, the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, posited that if the minister could make such comments, then there might be no end in sight and justice for victims of herdsmen’s attacks. He added: “If you say it is because of the law that killings by herdsmen are going on in Benue, is there any law prohibiting open grazing in Adamawa State? Is there any law in Plateau State? Is there any law in Kaduna, Ondo, Bayelsa, Imo, Ebonyi, Delta or Edo states? In Edo State, cattle have taken over even schools. The other day, a report came from the DSS that the ISIS terrorist group was taking over and the minister was quoted as saying that we should accommodate foreigners. Foreigners who come here illegally should be accommodated? So, if a minister is coming out to encourage our citizens to do illegal things, I now begin to see why they have given immunity that is the prerogative of the president and the vice president, governors and deputy governors to herdsmen who kill, and even cattle.”
It is indeed inconceivable that a man who is supposed to coordinate the nation’s security architecture would react in such a way to the story of the 73 souls cut down by herdsmen on January 1. To all intents and purposes, his averment that the blockade of grazing routes caused the massive killings by herdsmen belittles the dead. And what about those killed before the grazing laws were made? Again if, as he claimed, the Benue crisis was a case of government arming an ethnic militia, why was the armed militia not able to tackle the herdsmen? The minister clearly sidelined the real issues and exhibited total lack of human feelings.
Conversely, in a statement addressed to Nigerians, Buhari stated that he had written to the National Assembly to explain what he had done to curb the Benue killings, part of which was to ask the Inspector General of Police to relocate to the state. In the letter written to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, outlining the steps that the government had taken on the crisis, nowhere did the president claim that grazing laws caused the Benue killings. Going by the president’s letter, it is obvious that the Defence Minister misrepresented the government’s position. His statement has fuelled allegations of ethnic bias and the country cannot afford such sentiments now. He should be relieved of his duties before doing further damage to the country.
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