Ex-minister, Dambazau, charges Nigerian govt to cleanup weapons, drug among Fulani youths

A former Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (RTD), has appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the cleanup of weapons and drug among Fulani youths as a way to help tackle kidnapping in the country.

Dambazau made the appeal in his paper, titled: “Dilemma of the Fulbe pastoralist,” presented at the Pastoralists and Fulbe Security Conference, in Abuja, at a jointly organised conference by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Northern Consensus Movement (NCM).

Fulani herdsmen had been accused of carrying out different degrees of violent crimes against farmers and communities across the country.

The former minister, however, emphasised the urgent need for practical solutions to kidnapping by the Fulbe youth which sees to the daily loss of lives and destruction of properties.

He, therefore, called for the blockage of access to weapons and cleanup of all weapons in use within Fulbe pastoralist youth environment.

He also urged the criminal justice system to come strong against anyone of them found committing any form of crime.

Dambazau said: “We must also clean up the stable, and by this, I mean, with the help of the NDLEA, the society must work on the drug abuse among the Fulbe pastoralist youth.

“We must ensure justice and pursue human capital development that would improve the education and health of the Fulbe pastoralist to open more opportunities for him for self-development in the society.

“To do this, access to quality education and healthcare facilities should be provided for the Fulbe pastoralists, in addition to skills acquisition.”

He also charged the Federal Government to implement the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), approved in 2019.

“Beyond the idea of the UN Great Green Wall in the Sahel to checkmate the southwards movement of the desert, states and Federal Governments, and the private sector, should raise special funds for establishing ranching communities.

“Particularly in the vast lands in the northwest and north east, with all necessary facilities to enable the pastoralists settle down permanently.

Read also: MASSOB accuses Dambazau of Jihadist agenda against South

“After all, government has been subsidizing agriculture, especially for farmers, and the production of livestock should be part of the government efforts to increase revenue.

”It should be noted that contemporary challenges facing Fulbe pastoralists are multifaceted and complex.

“While in the past he was easily identified by his stick with which he controlled the movement of his cattle, today he is identified with the AK47 and other light weapons he uses to attack rural communities and also ambush to kidnap passengers and motorists traveling on the highways.

“The Fulbe pastoralist was known to be humble, kind, gentle, disciplined, honest, and selfless, but today he is perceived as a bandit, murderer, rapist, cattle rustler, and kidnapper,” he lamented.

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