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Tag: Herdsmen attacks

  • Senator seeks end to herdsmen attacks in Cross River

    Senator seeks end to herdsmen attacks in Cross River

    The Senator representing Cross South, Gershom Bassey, Tuesday said that stakeholders in Cross River State are working round the clock to put a permanent stop to herdsmen attacks in the state.

    Senator Bassey who was reacting to herdsmen attack in Obio Usiere community in Odukpani Local Government Area said that the stakeholders have vowed to get to the root of series of herdsmen attacks in the state.

    He said that the Odukpani attack was not the first although no nobody was killed in the first attack

    The lawmaker also said that the state government was working assiduously to assuage frayed nerves in the affected area.

    He noted that a situation where intruders would attack indigence under any guise should be condemned in its entirety.

    He said, “I condemn the killing in Odukpani local Government Area in its entirety. There is no room for such attack in Nigeria. The elders are looking for ways to resolve the problem.

    “Stakeholders in the state will get to the root of the problem but we don’t want people to take the law into their hands. We are engaging the elders; I have also engaged the House of Assembly member representing area to put a permanent stop to the attacks.”

    On the number of casualty, the lawmaker said that they were engaging the police to get the actual number of people killed in the attack.

    He noted that even if one person was killed in the Odukpani attack, it called for serious action to stop it in the interest peace and tranquility in the country.

    Senator Bassey said that what they agreed in the Senate was that since attacks were local, state governments should play prominent role in the resolution.

    He said, “On the Odukpani attack, the state government has deployed a detachment of police and army to the area. As long as we are losing lives, then there is a problem that must be solved. Whether it is in Enugu, Benue, Taraba or any other place, it is a problem that should not be left unsolved. We are as stakeholders, determined to solve the problem and put a permanent stop to attacks of any kind.”

     

  • Benue lost N95b in herdsmen attacks

    Benue lost N95b in herdsmen attacks

    •Buhari condemns killings

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said the state lost N95 billion in herdsmen attacks between 2012 and 2014.
    Ortom, who addressed a stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue People’s House yesterday, said the attacks necessitated the declaration of a seven-day fasting and prayer.
    According to him, the attacks put Benue in a difficult situation as agriculture, which is the state’s strongest point, is being destroyed, while payment of salaries and pension, amounting to N7.8 billion, continues to be a major issue.
    “We have no land for grazing and grazing routes; we cannot join grazing and farming,” he reiterated.
    The governor noted that with the ever-increasing population, ranching remained the best alternative, adding that the anti-grazing bill, sent to the House of Assembly, would be subjected to public hearing. He urged stakeholders to participate in the exercise.
    He said security committees have been inaugurated and appealed to the people to shun reprisals.
    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the government and people of Benue State on attack on a market in Zaki Biam.

  • NHRC to FG: It’s time to end herdsmen attacks

    The National Human Rights Commission has expressed concern at the incessant killings by suspected herdsmen and urged the Federal Government to act now.

    NHRC’s Acting Executive Secretary, Mrs. Oti Ovrawah, said the “time has come for the government and security agencies to ensure effective protection of lives and properties of defenceless Nigerians, who are victims of incessant attacks by suspected herdsmen in the country.”

    Spokesperson of the NHRC, Mrs. Fatimah Agwai Mohammad, said in a statement on Wednesday that Mrs. Ovrawah’s comments followed the recent killing of some Nigerians in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country by suspected herdsmen.

    She argued that the frequency of such attacks now makes it imperative, more than ever before, for the government and the security agencies “to act fast to put a stop to these callous acts.”

    Mrs. Ovrawah, who urged security agencies to be more proactive and committed in the discharge of their duties, said there is an urgent need to prioritize preventive measures as a way of reducing these attacks.

     

  • Reps to meet Buhari over incessant Killings

    Reps to meet Buhari over incessant Killings

    Worried by the continuous killings across the country, the House of  Representatives Thursday mandated the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and the security chiefs over the rising wave of insecurity

    The proposed meeting with  Buhari is for the purpose of getting him to act urgently on the trend of herdsmen attacks, armed robbery, kidnapping, and other security challenges.

    The House also said a conference on security involving all security agencies should be convened to proffer solution to the problem and called for a Declaration of Emergency in Southern Kaduna senatorial district by the Federal and Kaduna State governments.

    The lawmakers also urged the Director of the Department of State Service in charge of internal security to wake up to his responsibility in terms of securing the lives of Nigerians in the country.

    The resolutions of the House was sequel to the adoption of the amended prayers of a motion  of urgent public importance by a member, Hon. Simon Arabo (Kaduna APC) who decried the senseless killings in the region, especially the recent killing of 43 persons and destruction of houses in Kauru Local government, by unknown gunmen.

    Recall that armed men attacked Kigam, Kitakum, Ungwan Magaji, Ungwan Rimi, Ungwan Makera and Kizipi villages in Kauru Local government area of Kaduna state, on November 13 to 14, 2016, killing 43 persons including women and children and injuring several others.

    The lawmakers called for the establishment of a military strike force in the area in the meantime as a form of deterrent, saying the attacks are becoming too rampant.

    The Green Chamber urged security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of the attacks, in accordance with its resolutions of October 19, 2016 which came on the heel of a previous attacks.

    While supporting the motion, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba (Kaduna APC) accused the military of apathy to the killings.

    “You call them and they tell you that they do not have mandate to act. In some cases, they come and arrest the same people who have asked them for protection, after the attackers have gone,

    “There is no concern by government. People do what they like and get away with it. The repercussion is great for the nation.

    Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila warned that the attacks have a tendency to migrate to other parts of the country. Its coming to a time when a state of emergency will be declared in Southern Kaduna. It should therefore not be considered a southern Kaduna problem, This is the time to act,” he said.

    Another member, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (Kwara APC) noted that such incidents speak to the need to revisit laws that regulate the rights of citizens to bear arms and the consideration of state police.

    He said: “We have to look at these issues seriously else people would resort to self help. The problem with self help is that it could cause more harm than the initial harm.”

    Other members who supported the motion include, Mohammed sanni Abdul, Garba Datti Mohammed, Babale Bachir, Shehu Garba, Kingsley Chinda and Sanni Zoro.

  • Labour urges Govt to end herdsmen attacks

    The Enugu State chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has advised the Federal Government to end the attacks and killings of innocent citizens by suspected herdsmen.

    Reacting to the attack on Ndiagu Attakwu Akegbeugwu community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, where a Catholic seminarian was killed, the TUC said the attacks were “inhuman and callous”.

    In a joint statement by its State Chairman Igbokwe Chukwuma Igbokwe and Secretary Benneth Asogwa, the union noted that since security agencies were under the Federal Government, it was the responsibility of the President to direct the police, the Army and others to stop the herdsmen from further killings.

    It regretted that some people blamed the state government for the herdsmen repeated attacks on communities.

    TUC added that the attacks would continue, if the President failed to use his powers as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to stop them.

    The union urged the police and other security agencies in to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

    It hailed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for promptly visiting the community and for his efforts at maintaining peace, protecting lives and property of the residents as well as preventing the escalation of the incident.

    The statement added: “The congress condoles with families of the victims of the attack on Ndiagu Attakwu community and the people of Enugu State on the attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen. We strongly believe that the sincere intervention of the Federal Government is the only permanent solution to the incessant attacks by the herdsmen, which have threatened the peace and unity of the country.”

     

  • Herdsmen attacks: OPC can’t guarantee Yoruba’s safety, says Adams

    Herdsmen attacks: OPC can’t guarantee Yoruba’s safety, says Adams

    •Buhari slammed over decision to discard confab report

    OODUA Peoples Congress (OPC) National Coordinator Gani Adams said yesterday that his men may not be able provide enough security for the Southwest people as the Fulani herdsmen attacks persist in the states.

    Adams said the people must be prepared to defend themselves against the attack by herdsmen, which he added, continued unabated.

    The OPC leader spoke at a lecture organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, to commemorate the 2016 Democracy Day.

    It has the theme: “Herdsmen/ Fulani clashes: What implication for inter-Ethnic Relations/ Nigerian Economy?”

    Adams, who was the guest lecturer at the event, said Yoruba people’s negative comments over the activities of the OPC has demoralised the group.

    He said the group lost the zeal to protect the people because its members were branded touts, thugs and terrorists by the same Yoruba race.

    The OPC chieftain added that they were only recognised during elections, but politicians shot their doors against them after they might have won.

    Adams lamented that it was painful that some traditional rulers did not encourage OPC’s existence in their communities.

    According to him, “religion has taken away traditional means of protection from the people in Yoruba land.

    “When one is too fanatic about religious, it brings shame. Religion is good, but when it becomes fanatic, it brings ridicule.

    “If we are being moderate in our religions in Yorubaland – be it Christian, Muslim or traditional – who dares bring attack into our communities?

    “But Yoruba people are being hypocritical about traditional protections,” Adam said.

    He urged the people to use whatever traditional object they have to protect themselves and their communities, saying the first law in heaven is “self defence”.

    The OPC chieftains bemoaned President Muhammadu Buhari’s comment that the 2014 National Conference report would be kept in the archive, saying such statement is insulting.

    Adams insisted that only the implementation of confab report would bring lasting solutions to the crisis facing the country.

    He said: “Before you think that I am exaggerating, consider this: between 2010 and 2013, according to a report, Fulani herdsmen killed about 80 people. However, by 2014, they had slaughtered 1,229 people.

    “When you consider the Global Terrorism Index, you discover that Fulani herdsmen are not Number Four on the list of the deadliest terror groups in the world.

    “Boko Haram, of course, takes the first position. As noted by a recent report, over 2,000 people were killed in conflicts between the herdsmen and different host communities in 2015 alone.

    “In comparison, the regular Boko Haram kills 2,500 people annually. In a situation where a group of supposed herdsmen carry sophisticated weapons and wipe out entire communities, the unity of the Nigerian nation is indeed threatened.

    “Those of us who attended the 2014 National Conference know that Nigeria cannot make any progress without implementing the report of that conference.

    “If we do this (implement the report), we will have a decisive framework for dealing with issues such as the one addressed in this brief lecture.

    “Until the report is implemented, we will just be going round in circles and life in Nigeria will continue to be nasty, short and brutish. The time to change our path is now.”