Disarm herdsmen before farmers begin to arm selves, lawyer warns FG

The Federal Government has been urged to disarm herdsmen ravaging farms across the country before farmers begin to take up arms to defend themselves.

Oghenejabor Ikimi, a Delta-based lawyer, made the plea in Warri, Delta State.

He lashed out at some public officials, whom he said, had made provocative and careless statements regarding the Benue massacre.

Ikimi, who is the executive director of the Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP), while describing the massacre as ‘pure evil’ said more bloodletting by mindless headsmen might continue unless the Federal Government went proactive about the menace.

“Gentlemen of the Press, my attention has been drawn to the New Year day Benue massacre by armed herdsmen, which recorded over 73 deaths and I condemn same as an act of pure evil and in turn, I call on the Federal Government to immediately commence the disarming of armed herdsmen nationwide before our local farmers start arming themselves.

“I make bold to say that public comments by some Federal Government officials since the above incident have been provocative.

“Recently the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris was quoted in some national dailies as saying that the Benue massacre was a fall out of a communal clash.

“Insane climes, the Inspector General of Police would have been sacked as he and his men woefully failed to ensure the safety and security of the victims of the abhorrence.

“I am also not oblivious of the statements credited to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Audu Ogbe which was to the effect that the Federal Government had not done much for the herdsmen, unlike the farmers.

“Again, the above statement by the said Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was a very unfortunate one, as the above reason is not enough for Herdsmen to take innocent lives while the Federal Government and all her security agencies stand hands akimbo offering untenable excuses for these bloodlettings by armed Herdsmen.

“Also, the statement credited to the Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong, to the effect that the harsh ban on open grazing Laws in various States of the Federation is responsible for the above mayhem in Benue State is also untenable and his subsequent apology unacceptable in sane climes.

“I am also not oblivious to the fact that before the advent of the above legislation in many states of the federation, armed herdsmen had killed, maimed and raped their victims unabatedly, and since it was the primary responsibilities of state governments to ensure the security of their citizenry, many states legislated the ban on opening grazing to protect the lives and properties of their citizens in their various states.

“The recent outburst of the Leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association led by her Secretary Alhaji Baba Usman Ngeljarma that the ban on opening grazing by some State Governors was responsible for the Benue mayhem is provocative and I call for his arrest and prosecution, likewise the perpetrators of the Benue abhorrence and other massacres across our Nation must not go unpunished.

“I am also not oblivious of the fact that failure of the Federal Government to timeously tame the above evil being perpetrated by rampaging armed herdsmen across the nation could lead to unimaginable scale of bloodshed and terror in our nation in the near future, hence the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Inspector General of Police two weeks after the above Benue massacre to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the said mayhem is a welcome development, as long as same is carried out devoid of sentiments,” Ikimi noted.