NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE POLITICS OF THE CATTLE

Niger state in the North to Edo state in the South and Oyo state in the West to Enugu state in the East, the story remains the same, blood and tears flow freely as murderous herdsmen kill people and ravage communities while the government stands helpless. Why the government becomes silent is a million-dollar question begging for answers.

Security is one of the core mandates of any responsible government however on the issue of the herdsmen, the Commander in Chief has become toothless, clueless, and bereft of leadership ideas to solve the problem. His cold silence coupled with the virulent comments from the Villa in Abuja anytime the issue is raised in other parts of the country suggests an unlikely bed romance between Abuja and the herdsmen.

The President has full powers on security issues meanwhile the state governors are just toothless barking dogs, who are chief security officers on paper but are merely logistics officers in their states as rightly said by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state. The governors can’t give orders to their state police commissioners because the CPs take orders from Abuja and so the governors are helpless. Any attempt by governors to evolve a community policing model in their own states always gets harsh vituperation from the Presidency either from their paid saliva drooling media aides who find joy in hypocritically attacking proponents of state policing in order to satisfy the interests of the Presidency. Take the issue of the Western Nigerian Security Network (WNSN) popularly known as Amotekun an initiative of the South West Governors which drew the ire of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami SAN who branded it ‘unconstitutional and illegal’ and also the reaction from the  Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity,  Mallam Garba Shehu who openly antagonized Ondo state Governor, Barr. Rotimi Akeredolu on his eviction order to unregistered and undocumented herders in government forest reserves in the state.

How can a government allow a group like the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to dictate the terms of where and where not to graze cattle in the country? How can a government refuse to ban open grazing which is the root of the many clashes between herders and farmers?  How can a government not arrest and prosecute members of MACBAN who make inciting comments which have the capability of igniting ethnic hatred and strife but instead chose to rebuke governors who openly oppose the group and their nefarious activities? How can a government not arrest, prosecute, and jail suspected killer herdsmen for atrocities committed against innocent Nigerians but instead turns a blind eye when these unscrupulous elements are released from detention? Why is the Presidency scared of the creation of regional security outfits to counter the effects of these blood-thirsty herdsmen? Why has the government failed to address the issue of porous borders in the Northern parts of the country which has led to the influx of Tuareg rebels and foreign fighters who use cattle herding as a cover to commit heinous crimes like kidnapping, abduction, and wanton destruction of communities?

The government has become silent becomes it is not ready to fight insecurity, all its cosmetic show of addressing the issue by convening needless security seminars and meetings is just to play to the gallery. Its silence and apparent inaction only indicate complicity and subtle encouragement of the dastardly acts of these evil men.

Not all herdsmen are bad, we still have good herdsmen who are responsible, simple, and peace-loving, however, the bad eggs among the group is portraying the entire clan as a clan of killers and merchants of blood and until the government calls a spade a spade, this country is headed for disaster