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Herdsmen ’ve Declared War On Nigeria -Ortom …As Govt Conducts Mass Burial Of 70 Victims …Amnesty Warns Over Looming War
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has described the attacks on his kinsmen by suspected Fulani herdsmen as a declaration of total war on people of the state.
The governor said since 2011 when the attacks started, the state had lost illustrious sons and daughters as well as approximately N95billion.
The governor made these remarks, yesterday in Makurdi at the mass burial of those recently killed by Fulani herdsmen in Logo and Guma LGAs of the state.
Ortom, who wept profusely while giving his speech, called on both national and international communities to come to the aide of the state.
He noted that the attacks were aimed at making the state ungovernable.
His words, “For several years, these attackers have turned our beautiful and endowed land into their killing fields.
“These attacks have been intensified with alarming devastation since 2011.
“The report of a survey conducted by Bearua of LG and chieftaincy affairs in the state that in 2014, among 10 of the 23 LGAs of the state lost hundreds of lives and incurred losses of over N95billion.
“So far, 13 of the 23 LGAs have been affected.
“The govt and people of the state interpreted this clear handwriting on the wall as an open declaration of war on Benue State.
“Our people would not have been massacred. It would have been prevented because the state government delayed the implementation of the law until November 1, 2017 to give a grace period for those who needed permits to establish ranches.
“However, no Fulani herdsman or woman applied for permit.
“Rather than make attempts to comply with the law, their leaders continued to engage in more threats to resist the implementation.
“They also went to challenge the legitimacy of the law and the matter is still pending.
“The dead bore the characteristics of Fulani militia brutality- slit throats, deep cuts from machetes on his head, chest, back and neck with some of their private parts removed. It was well planned and clinically executed with specific targets.
“We wish to draw the attention of the national and international communities to the fact that Benue state has come under a deliberate, well planned and well funded siege. What started in Guma and Logo is a clear statement of the evil and devastating plan against the state.
“Our invaders do not care which political party we belong to, they don’t care where we worship. They do not care about our age and gender. All they care is to annihilate us, to obliterate us from Benue Valley so that their cattle can graze and drink freely from rivers in the state.
“History beckons and we must rise to the challenge which our forefathers confronted and surmounted.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has warned President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to be proactive in addressing the clashes between herdsmen and farmers to prevent the total breakdown of law and order.
Director of Amnesty International, Osai Ojigho, gave the warning, yesterday, during her appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Ojigho is worried that the recent attacks by suspected herdsmen on some communities in Benue State and those recorded in other parts of the country might get out of hand if not tackled squarely.
“We are really reaching a boiling point of total anarchy,” she said.
“If you are to look at how things are developing, there’s a lot of anger from different affected communities, including those who actually are bearing the brunt of losing family members at this time of the year.
“We’ve been following the incessant killings that have been happening in this sort of clashes throughout last year and, of course, at the beginning of the year we woke up to experience another wave at an escalating level that we never thought would get to this point”, she said.
Amnesty International lamented that the governments at both federal and state levels are only doing little to address the issue.
The human rights group has asked them to ensure the perpetrators of the killings are arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
“For us, what is really shocking is that we are yet to find a concrete response by government whether it’s at federal level or state level in terms of ensuring that those that are perpetuating these killings are arrested, are prosecuted, and actually the course of justice is allowed to proceed without any sort of fear or favour,” Ojigho said.
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday prayed for the repose of the victims of last week’s killings in Guma and Logo local government areas of Benue State who were laid to rest in a mass burial yesterday.
In a condolence message posted on its official Twitter Handle, the party sympathized with the government and people of Benue State and called for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the evil act.
“We sympathize with Governor Samuel Ortom and the bereaved families of Guma and Logo local government areas of Benue State. We pray for the repose of the innocent souls. “
May the killers and masterminds of this evil have no rest. We charge those with the responsibility of bringing the perpetrators to book, to muster the courage to make the evil doers face the full wrath of the law,” the tweet read.
Similarly, the Tiv Area Traditional Council yesterday said it had concluded plans to report to the global community and the International Criminal Court the atrocities of Fulani herdsmen, including the recent killing of natives in Benue State.
The pan-Tiv traditional institution predicted that President Muhammadu Buhari would not score any vote if he seeks re-election in 2019.
It said the only way Buhari can get any support in Tivland if “he loves his political future” is to tackle the menace of Fulani herdsmen in Benue State “and bring a solution once and for all.”
The TATC said: “Of course, Buhari is a Fulani man, he has cattle. But if he loves his political future, he should tackle this matter and bring a solution once and for all because Benue State voted massively for him (in 2015); now, if he contests again (in 2019) and vote is cast, he will get zero vote from Benue State.”
The pan-cultural organisation also rejected the decision by the Federal Government to designate cattle colonies in different parts of the country and demanded a definition of it.
The Legal Adviser of TATC, Chief Edward Ashiekaa (SAN), stated these in an interview.
According to Ashuekaa, the position of the Benue State House of Assembly on Anti-Open Grazing Bill was very clear.
He said: “The law has come into being, it has prohibited open-grazing and every citizen must obey this law. The law has also protected cattle owners by prohibiting cattle rustling and providing stiff penalties.
The cattle herders are bent on disobeying these laws.
“The international community has to come into it. We are going to the Embassies, United Nations and even the International Criminal Court to ventilate our grievances. We are taking bold steps to inform the world that we are law abiding citizens. We have no capacity to fight the Fulani herdsmen; knowing the type of sophisticated weapons they have, our rural people cannot fight them. We want to win this war at the battle front, we don’t have the capacity to do that. We will win it at the international level and at the federal level.”
Ashiekaa challenged the Federal Government to explain what it meant by “cattle colonies” when, for instance, the Benue State Government has enacted laws prohibiting open grazing, which was resisted by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association with serious threats.
He said: “The Federal Government has no right to enact the law nullifying the law which has been enacted by the Benue State Government. Under the constitution, they don’t have the right. As of now, the Benue State Government has enacted laws prohibiting open grazing. If you are bringing the aspect of cattle colony and it fits into our definition of ranching, we will accept it. But as of now, there is no definition of cattle colony.
“Miyetti Allah has come out severally to say they will disobey the law; they don’t recognise the law, the law is against their interest, so they will not obey it. Have you ever heard of such a thing in this country? The issue is whether or not the Benue State House of Assembly as a legislature has a right to enact the law that it did.”
The TATC also expressed displeasure over the position of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, that the recent killing in Benue State was caused by a communal clash.
Ashiekaa said: “Does he know what communal is? The man is highly educated, otherwise he wouldn’t have risen to the position of IGP. But the whole world know that they are Fulani herdsmen, some are not even Nigerians but brought in just to create problems for the people and you are calling it communal clashes! The man should withdraw that statement and state the fact. As I am still talking to you there are still clashes ongoing between the herdsmen and the local people who are helpless, they are not armed.
He said: “You will recall that at the inception of the Samuel Ortom’s administration in Benue State, he pleaded with the hoodlums to surrender their weapons under an amnesty programme. It is even painful to say that President Muhammadu Buhari is involved in it.”
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a security outreach to the hotbeds of recent killings in Plateau, Benue and Borno States, to restore peace to areas wracked by mass killings and bomb attacks.
National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this to State House correspondents after a four-hour security briefing with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.
“We listened and we took instructions from him. We got new directives…to go meet with the political authorities there,” Ribadu told reporters, adding that Tinubu directed them to engage state-level authorities in the worst-hit regions.
Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; Chief Defence Intelligence of the Nigerian Army, Gen. Emmanuel Undianeye; Director-General, Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appeared for the briefing.
The Tide’s source reports that in Plateau State, inter-communal violence between predominantly Christian farmers and nomadic herders spiralled into gory slaughter when gunmen stormed Zikke village in Bassa Local Government early on April 14, killing at least 51 people and razing homes in a single night.
In Benue, at least 56 people were killed in Logo and Gbagir after twin assaults blamed on armed herders.
Meanwhile, in Borno State, eight passengers perished and scores were injured when an improvised explosive device ripped through a bus on the Damboa–Maiduguri highway on April 12.
Ribadu explained that after an extensive briefing, intelligence chiefs received fresh instructions to restore peace, security and stability across Nigeria.
“In particular, Tinubu had ordered immediate outreach to the political authorities in Plateau, Benue and Borno States, and the defence team had gone round those States to carry out his directives and report back.
“We gave him an update on what has been the case and what is going on, and even when he was out there, before coming back, he was constantly in touch. He was giving directives. He was following developments, and we, in charge of the security, got the opportunity today to come and brief him properly for hours. And it was exhaustive.
“We listened and we took instructions from him. We got new directives. The fact is, Mr. President is insisting and working so hard to ensure that we have peace, security and stability in our country. We gave him an update on what is going on, and we also assured him that work is ongoing and continues.
“We also carried out his instructions. We went round, the chiefs were all out where we had these incidents of insecurity in Plateau State, Benue State, even Borno, these particular three states, and we gave him feedback, because he directed us to go meet with the political authorities there,” the NSA explained.
Ribadu described Tinubu as “worried and concerned,” and said he directed that all security arms be deployed around the clock.
The government, he added, believes these steps have already produced measurable improvements, even if the situation is not yet 100 per cent safe and secure.
“He’s so worried and concerned, he insisted that enough is enough, and we are working and to ensure that we restore peace and security and all of us are there. The armed forces are there, the Civil Police, intelligence communities, they are there.
“They are working there 24 hours, and we feel that we have done enough to believe that we are on the right course, and we’ll be able to be on top of things,” Ribadu stated.
The NSA emphasised that combating insecurity was not solely a Federal Government responsibility.
He stated, “The issue of insecurity often is not just for the government. It involves the subunits. They are the ones who are directly with the people, especially if some of the challenges are more or less bordering on community problems.
“Not entirely everything is that, but of course it also plays a significant role. You need to work with the communities, the local governments, and the governors, especially the governors.
“The President will continue to direct that. We should be doing that, and that’s what we are able to. We are very happy and very satisfied with the instructions and directives given by Mr. President this evening.”
In Borno State, the NSA noted that while violence had surged in recent months, the insurgents refused to accept defeat.
He warned that most recent casualties there resulted from improvised explosive devices—”cowardly” IED attacks targeting civilians—and from opportunistic raids that follow any lull in fighting.
“We are getting the cooperation of the leadership at the state level, and everybody. It’s not 100 per cent…but we are going there.
“When you are having peace and you are beginning to get used to it, if one bad incident happens, you forget the periods that you enjoyed peacefully,” he added.
He paid tribute to the “many who do not sleep, who walk throughout, who do not go for any break or holiday”—the soldiers, police and intelligence officers whose sacrifices have created the fragile calm Nigerians now experience.
“They will continue to be there,” he said, adding, “Things have changed in this country…we are on the right track and we will not relent. We will not sit down; we will not stop until we are able to achieve results.”
A Federal Government agency – the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, has decried the low patronage of Nigerian-made products by Nigerians.
The agency identified some challenges leading to the low patronage of the local products as affordability and public perception, among others.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting organised by the agency in Akure, Ondo State capital, yesterday, the Deputy Director of Engineering at NASENI, Mr Joseph Alasoluyi, said Nigerians preferred buying foreign goods compared to local goods.
Alasoluyi, however disclosed that the agency had trained over 50 participants in the production of hand-made products, in a bid to ensure Nigeria-made products are patronised.
He explained that NASENI was set up to promote science, technology, and engineering as a foundation for Nigeria’s development and currently operates 12 institutes nationwide to achieve its objectives.
According to him, the aim of President Bola Tinubu, who is also the overall chairman of NASENI, was to ensure high production and patronage of “our local products thereby creating employment opportunities for many.”
He said, “The idea of this programme is to interface to ensure we produce products using our indigenous technology. This is what NASENI is out for, to ensure that homegrown technologies are encouraged.
“We are out there to ensure we integrate efforts to ensure that local technology is used to develop products within the resources we have.
“ The NASENI’s ‘3 Cs’ – Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation – that define NASENI’s strategic mandate: Creating innovations through research, Collaborating with partners to develop and refine products, and Commercialising these solutions to benefit the economy.
“Our achievements include the development of solar irrigation systems, CNG conversion centres, building machines capable of producing up to 1,000 blocks per hour, 10-inch tablets, locally made laptops, and electric tricycles (Keke Napep) set for market launch.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Samuel Oluyamo, blamed the Federal Government for not properly funding research in the varsities, also noting that many research outputs were left halfway due to lack of funding and weak linkages between research institutions and industry.
Oluyamo also queried the Federal Government’s commitment to funding research and development, saying many academic innovations remained on the shelve due to a lack of support for commercialisation and poor infrastructure.
“Until we upscale research into mass production, technological growth will remain elusive. The government is not funding research in the universities enough. Thank God for TETfund that is trying in this regime. The major interest in beefing up research in universities and research institutions is really not there,” he said.
The Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Patience Oniha, has said that Nigeria is in advanced discussions with JP Morgan to re-enter the Government Bond Index and renew investors’ confidence.
Oniha disclosed this on Wednesday at a Nigerian Investors’ Forum on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
The DMO boss explained that Nigeria has enjoyed favourable credit assessment among rating agencies in recent times on the back of the sweeping reforms initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Fitch Ratings recently upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings of seven Nigerian banks and two bank holding companies to ‘B’ from ‘B-‘, noting that the outlooks are Stable.
The affected issuers are Access Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Limited, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, First HoldCo Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, Fidelity Bank Plc and Bank of Industry Limited.
The upgrades of the Long-Term IDRs of the banks followed the recent sovereign upgrade and reflect Fitch’s view that Nigeria’s sovereign credit profile has become less of a constraint on the issuers’ standalone creditworthiness, the rating agency said.
Fitch also upgraded Nigeria’s Long-Term IDRs to ‘B’ from ‘B-‘ on 11 April, a decision that reflected increased confidence in the government’s broad commitment to policy reforms implemented since its move to orthodox economic policies in June 2023, including exchange rate liberalisation, monetary policy tightening and steps to end deficit monetisation and remove fuel subsidies.
“These have improved policy coherence and credibility and reduced economic distortions and near-term risks to macroeconomic stability, enhancing resilience in the context of persistent domestic challenges and heightened external risks,” Fitch said.
Nigeria was removed from the JP Morgan index in 2015 ostensibly due to its deviation from orthodox monetary policies and influence of capital control in its management of foreign exchange.
Principally due to reduction in oil revenues at the time, Nigeria introduced currency restrictions to defend the naira after it failed to halt a dangerous slide with burning of dollar reserves. The bank had earlier warned Nigeria to restore liquidity to its currency market in a way that allowed foreign investors tracking the index to conduct transactions with minimal hurdles.
“Foreign investors who track the GBI-EM series continue to face challenges and uncertainty while transacting in the naira due to the lack of a fully functional two-way FX market and limited transparency,” the bank said in a 2015 note.
Nigeria was listed in JP Morgan’s emerging government bond index in October 2012, after the Central Bank removed a requirement that foreign investors hold government bonds for a minimum of one year before exiting.
The JP Morgan Government Bond Index reflects investor confidence and opens doors to billions of investment flows, making Nigeria’s proposed re-entry a positive signal to the market and investors.
Oniha explained that talks with JP Morgan were ongoing and had gained momentum in recent times due to the stability created by the FX market reforms.
“With all the reforms that have taken place, particularly around FX, we have started engaging JP Morgan again to get back into the index. We think we are eligible now,” the DMO DG said.