In strongest terms, I condemn the continued rampage, attacks, and senseless killings being meted out to the people of Mangu and Bokkos communities in Plateau State. This is because the ancestral land of the affected communities must not be relinquished to the Fulani cattle rustlers who have mindlessly continued to attack the helpless people of the communities in the course of their pastoral activities. As far as I know, Bokkos people are very hospitable and are always in the habit of accommodating non-indigenes in their place. Therefore, it is senseless for cattle rearers from another state in the region to be invading the said communities, destroying their farmlands, and gruesomely killing the people. The loss of over 60 lives in the heat of such unprovoked invasion and heartless killings boils the heart, which calls for urgent national security reforms.
In light of the above, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development created under the Tinubu-led federal government is verily expected to have addressed this pressing issue through its holistic policy administration and operational system control on the activities of cattle rearers in Nigeria. Under the philosophy of our common voice for national unity, it stands to reason that the true and original values under which the nation was formed by our eminent nationalists have lost relevance since love and peaceful coexistence among citizens have become a thing of mockery.
Not only in Bokkos and Mangu communities have this menace continued to raise ugly heads, but also in Eha Amufu and Uzo Uwani communities in Enugu State, as reported cases of marauding activities of cattle herders are worrisomely recorded. The people of Edo and Ondo States, respectively, hardly sleep with their eyes closed in fear of attacks being launched against them by suspected Fulani cattle grazers, which must not be treated with kid gloves.
In the face of this disturbing situation, I call on the federal government, under the leadership of Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to rejig the national security structures capable of tackling the situation. His commitment to protecting the lives of citizens and improving the economy remains the cardinal basis by which the performance of his government would be evaluated because Nigerians are tired of violence, insecurity, electoral fraud, judicial compromise, and political Machiavellianism that have repulsively continued to erode democratic values and the rule of law.
Chief Dr. Emeka Kalu,
Director General, Global Initiatives For Good Governance (GIGG).
