…Declare herdsmen killings as genocide
The House of Representatives has declared its determination to fast track the process of constitution amendment on the creation of state police.
The lawmakers opined that state police is capable of putting an end to killings in the country.
The House however resisted attempt to lure it into the controversy of declaring Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist group.
Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama (PDP, Edo) had during an amendment to a motion on Plateau killings, proposed that Fulani herdsmen be declared terrorist group and killings in parts of the country be declared as genocide.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara said there was a procedure for such declaration which the House must be guided on.
The prayer was dropped but the House nonetheless declared the killings allegedly carried out by Fulani herdsmen in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara and other places as genocide.
The House has also announced that one of its member, Ahmed Wase (APC, Plateau) will automatically become a State witness and be protected because he has a documentary evidence of sponsored state terrorism in Nigeria.
While the House urged President Muhammadu Buhari to go beyond verbal condemnation of the attacks and take decisive and practical steps to protect the lives of Nigerians, it urged that the masterminds and perpetrators of the attacks should be arrested and prosecuted.
These followed the adoption of a motion by Istifanus Gyang (PDP, Plateau) and four others, who said the Federal government must take decisive action to stop the kilkings and secure the communities that have been under persistent attacks.
Gyang noted with shock and disbelieve the massacre by killer herdsmen of over 215 persons both young and old saying, ”These are barbaric acts of man’s inhumanity to man, ethnic cleansing and genocide which constitute the worst forms of wickedness and cruelty.
“It is of concern that not less than 15 villages and communities were destroyed in the well – coordinated attacks and mass killings and the analysis of previous killer herdsmen attacks has shown that they are usually guerilla in nature using sophisticated arms and machetes.
“Villages that are completely sacked in Plateau state include but not limited to Barkin Ladi-22, Riyom-18, Bassa-5, Bokkos-7, totaling 52.
“It is highly disturbing that even while the President and Vice President visited Plateau state and gave assurances of security and safety, the attacks and killings persisted and extended to the burning down of not less than five churches, all in a bid to provoke a religious crisis”.
In his contribution, Sunday Karimi (PDP, Kogi) said the government of All Progressives Congress (APC) should be blame because it is confused and without solution to the nation’s problems.
House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, however advised his colleagues to be temperate and nationalistic in their contribution before losing the essence of the debate and find ingsolutions to the challenges.
He urged his colleagues to be cautious of falling into the trap of fake news capable of stoking embers of discord.
At this point, some of his colleagues would have none of it and protested for a while before the intervention of Speaker Yakubu Dogara.
Gbajabiamila however insisted that contribution to the debate must be devoid of ethnic, political or religious sentiments but as Nigerians.
On way forward, he advocated the establishment of state police, saying, “The Plateau killings is inexplicable, the House must react but in reacting, solution must be proffered.
“The security architecture of this country must be changed and it is a mission to be accomplished. Arguments against and for the police are good but State police has become imperative, with state governors having no control over the police even as Chief security officers.
“It is time for the House to employ its entire legislative tool to fast track the amendment of the constitution, if we are all in agreement, rather than just talking about it, same tool used to fast track the Petroleum Industry Bill should be employed”.
Edward Pwajok (APC, Plateau), one of the sponsors of the motion wondered what could be the reason behind the failure of security agencies to respond to distress calls when 11 villages were simultaneously attacked for over seven hours.
He also questioned the inability of the government to implement the recommendation of White papers of previous attacks in Plateau state that began in 2001.
“What is the responsibility of government, are we seeing symptoms of a failed state,
why can’t, the attack be averted, was cattle rearing a preserve of the Fulani and why did it take NEMA about a week to respond?
“The Service Chief must be given timeline to stop these killings and change rule of engagement so that Commanders of troops can be held responsible.
“In changing the security architecture of the country, traditional institutions must be involved in the security system and a comprehensive audit of cattles must be carried out for identification of cattle and their owners,” he said.
Before Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (PDP, Abia) could present her programme of action, Deputy Minority Leader Chukwuka Onyema promised to make the House ungovernable if Honourable Tijjani Jobe Abdulkadir (APC, Kano), who sat a row behind him would not stop ‘disturbing proceedings’.
It took the intervention of the Speaker to restore order .
Elendu-Ukeje made her point asking President Buhari to note that the buck stops on his table considering the insensitive comments on the killings by his aides.
While she regretted insinuations of foreign invasion due to porous borders, the lawmaker urged Nigerians to watch their activities on the social media and the effects such might have on the nation.
She regretted that even if the killings stopped today, it would take ages to heal and stop the hatred that has been stoked by hate massages on the social media.
Abdulahi Wase (APC, Plateau) said the crisis could not have been between Fulani and Berom as many innocent people that have no relationship with either warring party lost their lives in the crisis.
He also said that active collaboration of internal forces and foreigners should not be disregarded, adding that a security report revealed about 350 Nigerians being trained in Israel while an indigenous company imported four trailers of arms into the country.
Bashir Babale (APC, Kano), Who lost a cousin to the crisis said it is regrettable if Nigerians are still taking about ethnicity , religious and political dichotomy after 104 years of togetherness.
While he likened the situation to a system failure, the lawmaker said it would be presumptuous to heap the blame of the Plateau killings on the government of APC because it was not in power in 2001, when the Jos crisis began or 2012, when a serving Senator was killed in one of the crises.
He said it was time for Nigerians to appreciate each other.
Hassan Saleh (APC, Benue) wanted to know what is stopping the government from declaring Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist group if the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) can be declared a terrorist organization.
Ali Madaki (APC, Kano) also agreed that the nation’s security system has failed but cautioned that the Fulani man and cattle rearing should not be criminalised if his profession is carried out within the ambit of the law.
Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) also advocated for a change of the nation’s security architecture, while calling for a the creation of state police.
Attempt by Sani Zorro (APC, Jigawa) to declare a national state of calamity in states where killings have taken was also rejected by the House, who asked for the meaning and essence of such declaration.
The motion was unanimously adopted after a voice vote.