Sultan and prosecution of killer herdsmen

Recently, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar 111, called on the Federal Government to prosecute Fulani herdsmen engaging in destructive and other violent acts in the course of grazing their livestock.  The Sultan, who branded such herdsmen as criminals, said their activities were not only repugnant; they do not represent the religious or political interests of Muslims.
We are totally in agreement with the Sultan, even as we believe that it is in the interest of the authorities to checkmate the orgy of violence that has become the trademark of herdsmen across the country.  It is a fact that Fulani herdsmen have become the new face of terrorism in Nigeria. Nigerians are not only miffed at the recurring menace, they are also scandalised at the government’s tardiness in disarming these AK 47 rifle-wielding marauders. Due to the peculiarity of the activities of the herdsmen, they move from one place to another in search of pasture. During their journey, they frequently trespass farmlands owned by locals in their host communities, destroying crops and valuables.
Attempts by farmers to prevent them from causing havoc are usually met with stiff and violent resistance. Most times the farmers are overpowered, injured and even killed while properties worth millions of naira are destroyed.
Past attempts to curb the excesses of the rampaging herdsmen are always seen as attack on the Fulani ethnic nationality and this perhaps explains why successive governments shied away from dealing decisively with the problem. Even at that, concerns as to the identity of those behind these attacks have been frequently raised. Though some people insinuate they are members of the Boko Haram sect, masquerading as Fulani herdsmen, many Nigerians believe that President Muhammadu Buhari has deliberately shied away from commenting confronting these marauding herdsmen or even checking their mayhems, because he is from the Fulani ethnic group.

We are not unmindful of the fact that any Nigerian is guaranteed the freedom to live in any part of the country as enshrined in Section 41 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended. However, we are restating that this does not confer on them the right to intimidate and violate the rights of their host communities.

The criminal impunity of herdsmen has continued to thrive because of government’s failure to maintain law and order and bring perpetrators of criminal acts to justice. It is worth noting that the history of conflict between farmers and herdsmen has been long for years with attendant debilitating costs. Beyond the sorrows, tears, blood and human casualties the herdsmen leave behind after these attacks; their activities pose a great danger to the Nigerian economy.
A report published in 2015 by aid agency Mercy Corps said Nigeria could save $13.7 billion annually if clashes between farmers and herdsmen stopped in several state
Government should do something about the Fulani herdsmen-initiated killings and harassments of Nigerians in any of the areas they graze. There is no denying that these if these attacks are allowed to grow, it could become the single existential threat to the unity of Nigeria since the civil war.