Should Herdsmen Militants be Declare a Terrorist Group or Criminals?
Should Herdsmen Militants be Declare a Terrorist Group or Criminals?
Statistics shows that the rise in the numbers of killings from the marauding herdsmen is worrisome.
Worrisome is an understatement when we objectively look at Nigerians that had been killed and properties loss as a result of herdsmen and farmers clashes across the country especially in the middle belt. Nigerians are bitterly angry, profusely lamenting over the incompetent of the government to safeguarding lives and property and ultimately put an end to herders' assault.
Marauding herdsmen has been declare the fourth deadliest terrorist group while Nigeria is rated 3rd highest impact country of terrorism by the 2015 Global Terrorist Index, GTI
GTI is based on data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) which is considered to be the most comprehensive dataset on terrorist activity globally and has codified over 140,000 terrorist incidents.
Let do the statistics, death tolls in the public domain within a period of barely a month;
Benue Attack - 80
Nasarawa - 25
Kaduna - 40
Taraba - 72
Not mentioning pockets of onslaught and other affected Eastern and Western Region.
Benue recorded death toll summed up to 1,269 within a period of three years besides the fresh killings
In 2013, herdsmen killed around 80 people annually
In 2014, death toll increased to 1,229 yearly
In 2015, death toll was 847 across 5states
Sadly most of the attacks occur in just six of the 36 states of Nigeria. the majority of deaths occur in the Middle Belt. The five states of Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba recorded
According to GTI, herdsmen militant activity in Nigeria has more in common with the tactics of organised crime and gangs, focusing more on armed assaults using firearms and knives. Firearms were used in over half of all attacks in Nigeria and were responsible for 92 per cent of deaths from Fulani militants strategically attacking target private citizens and properties, as its reflects the group’s primary goals, with mainly greater access to grazing lands for livestock and farmland. Each attack claimed an average of 11 lives per attack
The economic sabotage of this herders is grave; Nigeria loses over $13bn to farmers, herdsmen conflicts annually
Nigerians have seen a dramatic escalation of herdsmen; majorly individuals from the semi-nomadic pastorial ethnic group activities within the northern region staging attacks over a decade now, evidently witnessed in Plateau State and its neighboring states but more horrifying in recent times.
The onslaught of the herdsmen in the last few months call for urgency as this post serious threat to economic stability; Imagine the recent mass burial in Benue, havoc unleash in Adamawa and other heinous activities of these sects in other places. This unpalatable act give rise to the emergence of anti open grazing law
The Adamawa United Forum (AUF) had asked His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari to declare herdsmen as terrorist gang following their incessant killings across the nation or risk the wrath of other militia groups in the country. Come to think of it, a group that parade communities with AK47 rifles, unleash violence on communities, and intrude into someones capital assets (farmlands) without permission among others.
Knowing how to use these rifles with dexterity show these herders are prepared to take lives, a common attribute of a terrorist.
The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said that the rampaging Fulani herdsmen reported to have killed lives and raped women as well as destroyed farmers’ farmlands in some states in the country are not terrorists but simply criminals because the sects have not carved out a territory within Nigeria as a sovereign state of its own for its members unlike IPOB and Boko Haram
The spokesperson of AUF, Musa Jekeko, said: “Looking at their operations from the prism of objectivity, it is high time government designated them as terrorists to check the emergence of other militia groups in our communities
He further said that “It is no longer in doubt that the Shafuron conflict was generated by a disagreement over the invasion of farmlands by herdsmen and has nothing to do with religious or ethnic cleansing.
Join other well meaning Nigerians to raise your voice in clamping down this armed assault.
Are you of the opinion that these herdsmen militant should be declare terrorists in support of GTI, then write to your Representative to move the motion or take up your phone and let the hashtag begins
Statistics shows that the rise in the numbers of killings from the marauding herdsmen is worrisome.
Worrisome is an understatement when we objectively look at Nigerians that had been killed and properties loss as a result of herdsmen and farmers clashes across the country especially in the middle belt. Nigerians are bitterly angry, profusely lamenting over the incompetent of the government to safeguarding lives and property and ultimately put an end to herders' assault.
Marauding herdsmen has been declare the fourth deadliest terrorist group while Nigeria is rated 3rd highest impact country of terrorism by the 2015 Global Terrorist Index, GTI
GTI is based on data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) which is considered to be the most comprehensive dataset on terrorist activity globally and has codified over 140,000 terrorist incidents.
Let do the statistics, death tolls in the public domain within a period of barely a month;
Benue Attack - 80
Nasarawa - 25
Kaduna - 40
Taraba - 72
Not mentioning pockets of onslaught and other affected Eastern and Western Region.
Benue recorded death toll summed up to 1,269 within a period of three years besides the fresh killings
In 2013, herdsmen killed around 80 people annually
In 2014, death toll increased to 1,229 yearly
In 2015, death toll was 847 across 5states
Sadly most of the attacks occur in just six of the 36 states of Nigeria. the majority of deaths occur in the Middle Belt. The five states of Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba recorded
According to GTI, herdsmen militant activity in Nigeria has more in common with the tactics of organised crime and gangs, focusing more on armed assaults using firearms and knives. Firearms were used in over half of all attacks in Nigeria and were responsible for 92 per cent of deaths from Fulani militants strategically attacking target private citizens and properties, as its reflects the group’s primary goals, with mainly greater access to grazing lands for livestock and farmland. Each attack claimed an average of 11 lives per attack
The economic sabotage of this herders is grave; Nigeria loses over $13bn to farmers, herdsmen conflicts annually
Nigerians have seen a dramatic escalation of herdsmen; majorly individuals from the semi-nomadic pastorial ethnic group activities within the northern region staging attacks over a decade now, evidently witnessed in Plateau State and its neighboring states but more horrifying in recent times.
The onslaught of the herdsmen in the last few months call for urgency as this post serious threat to economic stability; Imagine the recent mass burial in Benue, havoc unleash in Adamawa and other heinous activities of these sects in other places. This unpalatable act give rise to the emergence of anti open grazing law
The Adamawa United Forum (AUF) had asked His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari to declare herdsmen as terrorist gang following their incessant killings across the nation or risk the wrath of other militia groups in the country. Come to think of it, a group that parade communities with AK47 rifles, unleash violence on communities, and intrude into someones capital assets (farmlands) without permission among others.
Knowing how to use these rifles with dexterity show these herders are prepared to take lives, a common attribute of a terrorist.
The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said that the rampaging Fulani herdsmen reported to have killed lives and raped women as well as destroyed farmers’ farmlands in some states in the country are not terrorists but simply criminals because the sects have not carved out a territory within Nigeria as a sovereign state of its own for its members unlike IPOB and Boko Haram
The spokesperson of AUF, Musa Jekeko, said: “Looking at their operations from the prism of objectivity, it is high time government designated them as terrorists to check the emergence of other militia groups in our communities
He further said that “It is no longer in doubt that the Shafuron conflict was generated by a disagreement over the invasion of farmlands by herdsmen and has nothing to do with religious or ethnic cleansing.
Join other well meaning Nigerians to raise your voice in clamping down this armed assault.
Are you of the opinion that these herdsmen militant should be declare terrorists in support of GTI, then write to your Representative to move the motion or take up your phone and let the hashtag begins
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