Reports of Fulani herdsmen attacking communities in Enugu State surfaced on social media, and by last night, Femi Fani-Kayode said that over a hundred people had been slaughtered by the group.
This prompted Nigerians to take to Twitter to call out the President’s silence on the development. Now, popular OAP Daddy Freeze has waded into the conversation, saying that the attack by the nomads is not targeted at the Igbo.
Read his full note:
“I hereby offer my deepest condolence to my brothers and sisters, the Igbo people. The slaughter in Enugu was heinous to say the least, and to imagine that such an act could occur in 2016 is sickening. However, the Fulani herds men are not after the Igbo people, like some are trying to insinuate, by whipping up sentiment to incite and instigate people. They are against anyone who doesn’t rear cows. They are a menace and should be stopped by all means necessary, including a ‘shoot at sight’ military order if the situation requires.
Nonetheless, we should take into cognizance that not every Hausa or Fulani man is our enemy, and even they are at the mercy of these cattle herdsmen.
The Fulani people are estimated at 40million according to Adeyiga Adebayo, whose detailed report on this menace can be found online here.
In this report Adeyiga states “some local Governments in Benue State were savagely attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen who killed hundreds of people, torched houses, sacked some communities and occupied them. For instance in Ghajimba, headquarters of Guma L.G.A., no less than 25 farmers were massacred.” When I brought up this argument on Facebook, a lady tackled me saying “we all know that there are more Christians in Benue”. What about Katsina or Kaduna? Another portion of the Adeyiga write-up states: “
Again, moments before President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent visit to Katsina State, the Fulani struck there killing over a hundred people. On Sunday March 16, 2014, marauders believed to be Fulani herdsmen attacked several communities under Maroa Chiefdom in Southern Kaduna killing over 200 persons mostly women and children, burning many houses, farms and food barns”.
The report by Adeyiga Adebayo sheds light on two potent issue, one being that the herdsmen are not against Igbo people as many are claiming and the other is that the menace is not new as Pres Goodluck Jonathan was ‘clueless’ when it came to this same matter, evidence of which can be found in the premium times in an article by Professor Iyorwuese Hagar.
Let us keep it in perspective, that a Yoruba elder states man Chief OLU Falae was allegedly kidnapped by these same herdsmen. So the war is not against the igbos it’s against Nigeria as a whole. This is the opportunity some people have been waiting for to divide Nigeria, and with sentimental manipulation through propaganda, they are slowly but surely getting there.
However, if our search is for a solution instead of whom to blame, then we MUST stand together as a country to fight this menace! #GodWillMakeNigeriaGreatAgain
~FRZ.”
