The attack by alleged herdsmen on Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau states and other parts of Nigeria is nothing short of WAR. The earlier we accept this and address it the same way we are handling Boko Haram insurgency the better for all of us. It beats my imagination how we choose to refer to these attacks as ‘herder and farmer clash’ when a single attack on Agatu claimed over 300 lives, sacked, burnt and displaced thousands in over 10 villages. Why is the FG so reluctant in calling the herdsmen attacks what it truly is? Who are the “Dogs of War”? is ethnic cleansing a mere clash? By all standards, even by Clausewitz’s conceptualization, the herdsmen attack is simply an act of WAR, heinous crimes against humanity and must be addressed properly, deploying all necessary paraphernalia of the military to end it. The tactics and strategies adopted by the mercenaries who are conscripted by the herdsmen pass for nothing less than WAR. The sophistication of assault weapons used against defenceless indigenous farmers, women, children and the elderly cannot and should not be referred to as mere “farmer/herder clash”. Such euphemism is applicable only where our leaders refuse to be responsible and responsive to their duties.
Yes! It is an internal WAR, imploding within and with an international dimension. The attackers are foreigners, hired and paid in cash or/and cattle. Since 2011 these attacks have followed a particular pattern: they are random, spontaneous and predictable. The herdsmen conscript foreign mercenaries who attack villages, kill and displace villagers then the pastoralists come in and occupy the deserted lands with their herds of cattle to graze. WAR of occupation is what it is, and requires a military solution.
Written by Bem Japhet Audu (Excerpt from facebook)
I have always in my post referred to the crises as that of fulani INSURGENTS. And I use the word insurgents with full knowledge and consciousness of its meaning
No comments:
Post a Comment