The greatest challenge facing the Nigerian security forces or Armed Forces and the Police is ‘secularity question’ or lack of national cohesion, pluralism and belongingness. Going by the multi ethnic and religious composition of the country, its present Armed Forces and the Police ought to have been composed of 50-50 Muslim-Christian ratio, but reverse is sadly the case. The present headship of the country’s security establishments is structured along 80/20 Muslim-Christian percentage; thereby aiding and fueling the untamed butcheries in the country.
Aided by near total collapse of intelligence and ICT policing and soldiering, the country’s security forces are now widely perceived or seen by many as ‘a state actor insurgency organization’. This is because it is difficult to differentiate between the security forces and Boko Haram or Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and their genocidal activities. It is also no longer hidden that Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen are allowed by Nigerian Government to bear or possess assault rifles like AK-47s, but the same Government arrests and prosecutes those found in possession of ‘hunters’ guns’.
By the Firearms Act of 2004, assault rifles like AK-47s are prohibited from being borne by the citizens except members of the Armed Forces including Police and paramilitaries such as personnel of the Nigerian Customs, Prisons and Immigration Services as well as NDLEA, NSCDC, etc. But in practice presently, Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen have earned the status of ‘untouchable Janjaweed’; operating from left, right and center across the country with ‘prohibited firearms’; killing and plundering at will and with impunity.
Recently in Umuawulu Community, near Awka in Anambra State, some ‘Fulani Herdsmen’ were openly caught bearing and brandishing AK-47s and till date, Government including the Inspector General of Police recently petitioned by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo has kept mute. A recent study conducted by a research group published by the Cable strongly alleged that “weapons used in farmer/herder conflicts (Jihadist Fulani terrorism) in the country are linked to Nigerian security agencies”.
The Government of Nigeria and its security agencies have also come out boldly to defend the terrorist activities of Fulani Jihadists. The Government also functions as their mouthpiece. ‘Figure spinning’ and ‘mangling’ have also become part of the Federal Government’s conspiracy and complicity-whereby Government denies out-right the casualty figures associated with Jihadist Herdsmen killings or have same brutally mangled. Censorship, false denials and falsehoods also characterize the Government’s response to Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen’s butcheries.
Apart from releasing into the general and the regimented (security formations) societies thousands of the arrested Boko Haram terrorists, classified as “low risk Boko Haram combatants”, the Nigerian Government is also ‘jihadist RUGA friendly’. The Government is bent and moving with full speed at establishing throughout Nigeria ‘Jihadist friendly “RUGA” and ‘National Livestock Transformation Plan’. “RUGA” in Fulani means “rural grazing area and rural human settlement”; designed to be hidden under to perpetrate Islamic jihadist campaign or violence. This is despite the fact that in the country’s landmass distribution, out of total of 923,00km2, the North is allocated with 72% or 730,000km2 while the entire South shares only 22% or 192,000km2; out of which the Southeast is allocated with the list or 29,525km2. The Nigerian Army has recently announced the floating of “Nigerian Army (Cattle) Ranching Limited” to be established throughout the country’s Army and military formations.
Apart from deceitfully christening the massacre of Christians as “herders-farmers clash”, the Nigerian Government also censors the media and some researchers, compelling them to describe the killings as “killings by unknown gunmen” or “herders-farmers clash”. “Visa weavers” were also announced recently by the Nigerian Government, allowing illegal aliens including violent African nationals to enter the country and live anywhere particularly in the Southern part. There has been steady influx of largely uneducated and religiously radicalized Northern Muslim youths into various communities and cities in the Southeast and the South-south. As at Dec 2019, forests and bushes of over 139 Igbo communities, towns and outlets had been forcefully penetrated and occupied by violent Fulani Herdsmen. Some rural communities in Igbo Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi have already become a ‘no-go area”.
Strong accusations are also rife against the Buhari/Osinbajo Government concerning the open conspiracy of the security forces in the massacre of Christians across Nigeria. The other day, the Governor of Delta State, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa strongly and openly accused soldiers of ‘accompanying the Herdsmen to massacre 14 rural Christians in Ughelli North LGA of the State”. The killings took place on 16th Feb 2020. Several other instances abound pointing strong accusing fingers at Army or Police aiding the massacre of defenseless Christians or refusing to come to their rescue when they are under attack, only to emerge hours after such killings to arrest, detain and torture the same victim populations. Instances, such as the above, are too numerous to mention.
Short Statistics Concerning 11,500-12,000 Christian Deaths In 57 Months
Credible statistics since June 2015 or between June 2015 and Feb 2020 have shown that between 11,500 and 12,000 Christians were hacked to death by Boko Haram, Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Boko Haram’s ‘bandits/highway kidnappers’; out of which Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen accounted for 7,400 deaths, Boko Haram 4000 and ‘Bandits/Highway Kidnappers’ 150-200.
The Nigerian military and police also accounted for 1,050 Christian deaths in the past 57 months. These included the killing of 480 Judeo-Christian Igbo citizens, 236 Christian IDPs, over 50 Adamawa rural Christians, estimated 70 Northeast Christian children and some 120 Christian detainees who Amnesty Int’l said were among the 240 detainees starved to death at the Giwa Military Barracks in Borno State in 2016, etc.
In the area of Jihadist Herdsmen killings, the breakdown further indicates that about 525 Christian deaths were recorded between June and December 2015, 1,300 between Jan and December 2016, 1,700 between Jan and Dec 2017 and 2,400 between Jan and Dec 2018. In 2019, Jihadist Herdsmen killed between 1000 and 1200 Christians leading to total Christian deaths by Fulani Jihadists since June 2015 about 7,400. Also, between June 2015 and December 2018, Boko Haram/IWSAP terror group was responsible for about 2,800 Christian deaths. This is out of the estimated 5000 killed. Between Jan 2019 and December, the Sect killed close to 1000 citizens who were mostly Christians. The “Highway Bandits/Kidnappers” have also been responsible for about 150-200 Christian deaths in the past 57 months.
Researched & Compiled By:
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Criminologist & Graduate of Security Studies
Board Chair
With:
Lawyer Obianuju Igboeli, Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Lawyer Ndidiamaka Bernard, Head, Int’l Justice & Human Rights
Lawyer Chidimma Udegbunam, Head, Campaign & Publicity
Lawyer Chinwe Umeche, Head, Democracy & Good Governance
www.intersociety-ng.org, +2348174090052, info@intersociety-ng.org
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