April 02, (THEWILL) – Yesterday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s seemingly helpless and detached response to the killing of suspected kidnappers/terrorists in Edo State came to the fore. His terse message, delivered in a casual and dismissive manner, stated: “I condemn the murder of travelling hunters intercepted by local vigilantes in the Uromi community of Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
“I have directed the Police and other security agencies to conduct swift and thorough investigations and punish the suspected culprits.
“I commiserate with the families of the affected victims and assure them that criminals would not be allowed to shed the blood of innocent Nigerians in vain.”
This scripted press statement, often issued from the Aso Rock Presidential Villa whenever tragedy strikes, serves to evade scrutiny and elicit empathy.
However, it fails to adequately address the security failures plaguing Nigeria or provide a comprehensive explanation of the Uromi incident that occurred two days prior.
While I condemn extrajudicial killings, as witnessed in Uromi, Edo State, in the strongest possible terms, it’s crucial to present a complete account of the events. Retired Major General Cecil Esekhaigbe, during a Channel Television broadcast, corroborated an eyewitness account of the unfortunate incident.
The General stated that, acting on intelligence indicating the movement of seasoned kidnappers back to the north, vigilantes mounted roadblocks, searching northern-bound trucks, including some belonging to Dangote. During an attempt to search one particular truck, a Fulani man, described as a radical Fulani terrorist, drew a knife and stabbed a vigilante. In response, the other vigilantes and youths (a mob) attacked them, leading to the subsequent deaths.
However, General Esekhaigbe’s Channel Television live interview omitted crucial details.
These include the discovery of substantial amounts of cash, running into millions of naira, on the suspects, believed to be proceeds from ransom payments, as well as dangerous weapons, including assault rifles and AK-47s. It is important to note that the vigilante group’s actions were likely driven by the fact that Edo State has been under siege in recent months, with over 200 deaths attributed to Fulani terrorists, along with countless rapes, maiming, and unprovoked murders across the state.
I have come across comments, such as one from @Auwal H. Mohammad on Facebook, threatening northern retaliation for the killing of these terrorists in Edo, whom he refers to as hunters.
He also pointed out that southerners conduct legitimate businesses in the north without harm. It’s clear that Auwal and his ilk are well aware of the true purpose of Fulani herders/terrorists in southern Nigeria, which is certainly not hunting, as he claims.
If the Fulani presence were purely for hunting, they should confine themselves to northern forests like the Sambisa Forest and other northern regions, to prevent tension and recurrent bloodshed.
Auwal is among the disingenuous northerners who often claim that the killer herders are not Nigerian Fulani, yet rush to their defense when they become victims of their own crimes.
Reports indicate that 14 suspects have been arrested in Uromi by the police, a significant development. However, it is equally concerning that the killers of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto remain at large, despite being identified as students from her school and classmates.
This lack of progress in bringing them to justice starkly exposes the failures of Nigeria’s justice system. Similarly, the absence of arrests in the rapes and murders in the Esan area is another example of systemic failures that allow perpetrators to evade punishment.
The recent outburst, via a press statement, by the spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Abubakar Jiddere, regarding the Uromi incident, further highlights the double standards in the investigation and prosecution of heinous crimes in Nigeria.
Have we ever heard of the arrest and prosecution of criminal herdsmen in Nigeria who have maimed and killed Nigerians?
The NEF’s demand that the arrest and trial of those involved in the Uromi mob action be made public would be an exercise in applying different standards of justice, which is an abomination.
The request for an “unreserved public apology from Uromi and Edo State authorities” and a demand for compensation for the families of victims has never been implemented for victims of the activities of criminal herders in Southern Nigeria.
Furthermore, the police’s swift action in Uromi, where 14 suspects were arrested in connection with the killing of alleged travelers, illustrates the discrepancies in how justice is served in Nigeria and reflects a celebration of the travesty of justice, as mentioned earlier.
It is imperative that the authorities ensure that justice is served in all these cases, regardless of the circumstances or the identities of the perpetrators. The Nigerian people deserve to feel safe and protected by the law, and it is the responsibility of the authorities to make that a reality.
The Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) should go beyond merely condemning the Uromi incident and unequivocally condemn any repetition of such violence anywhere in Nigeria.
Early last month, my dear friend, Mr. Peter Ogedengbe, was murdered on his farmland in Erha, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, after harvesting cassava and feeding it to his cattle.
There have been numerous other incidents in Ovia-North East and South West, Etsako East, Akoko-Edo, and the two Owan local government areas, where Fulani herders/terrorists have brazenly slaughtered mothers and children, and no one has called for revenge in the manner that Auwal is now doing. In Edo State alone, over 25 communities have been displaced by Fulani terrorists who routinely graze their cattle on people’s crops, and anyone who challenges this brazen act of impunity is killed on the spot!
It is crucial to note that Fulani terrorists operating in the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria, when arrested and handed over to security forces, are often released within an hour, reportedly under standing orders from the Buhari administration.
No unlicensed state actors, hoodlums, or terrorists have the right to carry assault weapons to maim and kill law-abiding citizens. It is unfortunate that criminality is being misconstrued, as governments at all levels have abdicated their responsibility to protect citizens; community policing, therefore, becomes a necessity.
Nigeria’s security woes speak to the heart of the issues I have relentlessly interrogated over the last few years: the total collapse of the security architecture is at the heart of it, coupled with the government’s treating terrorism with kid gloves.
Until President Bola Ahmed Tinubu acts decisively, the disintegration of Nigeria will be accelerated by counterattacks in response to Fulani terrorist attacks in Southern Nigeria.
Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: mailto:ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com
Erasmus Ikhide
