South, Middle Belt leaders tag Fulani herdsmen as organized terrorist group

Leaders in the South and Middle Belt regions on Saturday met and resolved that the Federal Government must immediately put an end to the “organised terror being unleashed on the South and Middle Belt states,” by Fulani herdsmen.

The South West, South East, South-South and Middle Belt leaders also restated their demand for a restructured Nigeria with new fiscal formula devoid of dependence on oil and gas revenues but existing as a fully diversified economy.

The leaders in one voice said that the only “difference between Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram” terrorist was that while Boko Haram wreaks havoc in the North-East and North West, Fulani Herdsmen carry its own terrorist attacks in the South and Middle Belt regions.

They therefore called on the Federal Government to without further delay disarm all herdsmen in the country and bring an end to the terror unleashed on farmers by the nomads.

Leading their regions at the consultative meeting which held in Abuja were, Chief Edwin Clark South-South delegation; Chief Ayo Adebanjo, South-West delegation; Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, South-East delegation; and Professor Jerry Gana, Middle Belt delegation.

Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, former Governor Idris Wada, Gen. David Jemibewon (retd.), Chief Olu Falae, Professor Banji Akintoye, Chief Albert Horsefall, Chief Guy Ikoku, Basil Paul and Bala Kakaya, others, were also at the meeting.

The communiqué arrived at and read after the meeting by Afenifere spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin, said, “We have resolved to put an end to these herdsmen immediately and bring an end to this organised terror being unleashed on the South and Middle Belt states.”

Expressing support for “a one nation Nigeria under God,” the leaders insisted on a restructured Nigeria in line with the commendation of the 2014 Confab. They therefore demanded that the report of the Confab be made available to the National Assembly without further delay.

Read also: We won’t blame Arewa youths, most of them illiterates, charlatans – MASSOB

“As a logical derivative, we must work out a new fiscal formula that will move Nigeria away from the current overdependence on oil and gas revenue to a diversified economy where all federating units are encouraged to develop their abundant natural and human resources for regional and national development.

“The federating units shall remit an agreed percentage of their revenue to the federation account,” the communiqué read in part.

The leaders said that Nigeria is a secular state and warned the Federal Government not to adopt any secular religion. It added that the recent plans to adopt a combined syllabus of religious and moral education should be done away with immediately.

“Therefore, we ask the Federal Government to immediately review the discriminatory appointments into key offices of government and public service and comply with Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution.

“State governments are also called upon to outlaw open grazing in favour of organised ranching,” the group added and condemned the Arewa youths’ quit order to the Igbo living in the North.

 

RipplesNigeria ….without borders, without fears

Click here to download the Ripples Nigeria App for latest updates

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now