How Tiv people may deal with Buhari over herdsmen killings

The troubled Buhari presidency may have to contend with vote losses in the Benue axis if threats by Tiv indigenes are to be taken seriously.

Represented by the The Tiv Area Traditional Council, the people say that President Muhammadu Buhari should forget about votes from the Tiv tribe in 2019 if the massacre of indigenes by alleged Fulani herdsmen continues unchecked by the administration.

The legal adviser of the pan-cultural group, Edward Ashiekaa, on Tuesday gave hint of its future plans while reacting to Nigerian government decision to set up cattle colonies.

“…Buhari is a Fulani man, he has cattle. But if he loves his political future, he should tackle this matter and bring a solution once and for all because Benue state voted massively for him (in 2015); now, if he contests again (in 2019) and vote is cast, he will get zero vote from Benue State,” he said.

Insisting that the ant-grazing act has come to stay, Ashiekaa added, “The law has come into being, it has prohibited open-grazing and every citizen must obey this law. The law has also protected cattle owners by prohibiting cattle rustling and providing stiff penalties. The cattle herders are bent on disobeying these laws.

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“The international community has to come into it. We are going to the Embassies, United Nations and even the International Criminal Court to ventilate our grievances. We are taking bold steps to inform the world that we are law abiding citizens. We have no capacity to fight the Fulani herdsmen; knowing the type of sophisticated weapons they have, our rural people cannot fight them. We want to win this war at the battle front, we don’t have the capacity to do that. We will win it at the international level and at the federal level.”

Ashiekaa reiterated Benue State government’s opposition to the proposed cattle colonies project saying, “The Federal Government has no right to enact the law nullifying the law which has been enacted by the Benue state government. Under the constitution, they don’t have the right. As of now the Benue state government has enacted laws prohibiting open grazing. If you bring the aspect of cattle colony and it fits into our definition of ranching, we will accept it. But as of now there is no definition of cattle colony.

“Miyetti Allah has come out severally to say they will disobey the law; they don’t recognise the law, the law is against their interest, so they will not obey it. Have you ever heard of such a thing in this country? The issue is whether or not the Benue State House of Assembly as a legislature has a right to enact the law that it did.”

Tiv indigenes also picked holes with the views of the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, who insinuated that the recent killings in the state were a mere communal clash.

“The man should withdraw that statement and state the fact. As I am still talking to you there are still clashes ongoing between the herdsmen and the local people who are helpless, they are not armed,” Ashiekaa said.

 

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