Plateau attacks: Hold Buhari responsible for killings in Nigeria – HURIWA

A prominent Civil rights group – Human Rights Writers Association of
Nigeria (HURIWA) has faulted federal government's deliberate refusal
to arrest, prosecute and punish sponsors of armed Fulani terrorism for
the ongoing blood bath in parts of Plateau State.

HURIWA's National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a
statement, said the one hundred percent blame for the spate of attacks
by armed Fulani herdsmen falls squarely on the desk of the
Commander-in-chief of Nigerian Armed Forces who has retained all the
security chiefs who are of Fulani/Hausa Muslim affiliations just like
the alleged perpetrators of the armed Fulani terror attacks in direct
breach of the Federal Character Principles.


He said that the ease with which armed Fulani herdsmen operate freely,
killing, maiming and destroying Nigerian farmers in the North of
Christian origin showed that there was a serious decision at the top
not to take action against the killings.

HURIWA said from all indications, some highly placed officials in the
current administration, including the minister of Defence have already
taken sides and may have decided not to take any measure to bring the
armed Fulani herdsmen to book due to Ethno-religious considerations
which runs contrary to the tenets, letters and spirits of the
Constitution.

The group asked the presidency to stop shedding crocodile tears each
time armed Fulani herdsmen slaughtered unarmed Nigerians in the
hundreds.

"We have consistently called on President Muhammadu Buhari who ought
to behave like the father of the nation for the duration of his four
year tenure but we have called on him in the last three years to
declare Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association a terrorist group and
to round up and prosecute the top officials of this body who had in
the past granted media interviews threatening to stop the
implementation of the anti-open grazing law just as the plateau and
Kaduna states' branches had threatened to go after alleged cattle
rustlers in parts of plateau and Southern Kaduna shortly before each
of the deadly attacks had happened but our calls have fallen on deaf
ears and indeed our national coordinator had instead come under direct
threats twice by a powerful serving military General holding a
strategic command position questioning why our group has consistently
condemned the armed Fulani terrorism. Our lives are now under severe
threats for speaking out to condemn the bloodcuddling attacks by armed
Fulani herdsmen.

"But rather than respect the constitutional oath of office he
subscribed to and employ decisive legal based mechanisms to tackle the
killings President Buhari had chosen to always issue dry press
statements mourning the victims even as his Defence Minister had on
many occasions blamed Benue, Taraba for the attacks by armed Fulani
herdsmen because of the anti-open grazing law. On his own part the
minister of interior whose officials have failed to stop the
proliferation of sophisticated weapons used by armed Fulani herdsmen
has stayed put in office and has refused to behave like a gentleman
and quit honourably so Nigeria can have an effective Interior security
minister.

"Nigerians must understand that the solution to these spate of
killings rests squarely with President Muhammadu Buhari who has all
the constitutional powers to decisively crush the sponsors and
attackers who are not ghosts but are linked to Miyetti Allah because
of the numerous threats this group had issued in the media before
attacks are carried out but the President prefers to issue tepid press
statements and after which another spate of organised killings by
suspected armed Fulani herdsmen take place.

"By his constitutional oath, Mr. President ought not to pamper or
tolerate Miyetti Allah even if the officials and members share same
religious and ethnic background unless the current government is bent
on scuttling constitutional democracy.

"We totally condemn the spate of killings in parts of Plateau state
and other parts of Nigeria masterminded by suspected armed Fulani
herdsmen. We totally reject the press statement by President Buhari
reportedly regretting the killings when he has the power to declare
the killers as terrorists but the government is currently planning to
spend N170 Billion of tax payers' money to seize/confiscate ancestral
lands of Nigerians for the purposes of erecting ranches for private
Fulani owners of cows. This is totally illegal and unconstitutional.

"How can this government be so insensitive and irresponsible to carry
on with a jamboree of the political party in power at the center in
the name of a charade called national convention with 5,000 armed
policemen guarding less than 2,000 people but over 100 innocent
children, women and old men were killed same time by armed Fulani
herdsmen ?.

"Nigerians must speak out and hold sustained public protests and civil
disobedient actions in absolute condemnation of these selective
genocides now before armed Fulani herdsmen take their killings to
other parts of Nigeria," it stated.