Your members who are Fulani herdsmen have recently been at loggerhead with the Irigwe community, leading to loss of lives on both sides. What do you think is the cause of the crisis?
We may not be able to immediately identify the actual causes of the problem. But first of all, let me condemn this barbaric act. I consider as wicked and barbaric the wanton destruction of lives and properties. I will not support the either side in the crisis, the Fulanis or the Irigwes. The crisis started as a result of so many indices and the causes are so many. I want you to know that the Irigwes are surrounded by so many communities, including the Rukuba, Chawai, Ateng, Birom and Afizere, among others. The question is, ‘what is the relationship of the Irigwes with all these communities?’
The Irigwes have, at various times, been in crisis with these communities. For example, on 23 June, 2005, there was a crisis between the Irigwes and Ateng people which resulted into so many causalities. In May 2015, they were in crisis with the Rukuba people over farmland. There was a repeat in October 2015 where the skirmishes took a very frightening dimension. On 11 December, 2016, the Irigwe was in crisis with the Berom where they killed a Berom pastor, beheaded him and took his head away. This resulted into a crisis which also repeated itself in March this year and also consumed so many lives. The problem of the Irigwes with the Fulanis started in 2001. Another question is, ‘who are the communities that are killing the Irigwes?’
Many people are alleging or insinuating that it is Fulani but is it really Fulani? They beheaded a Fulani man on Sunday and killed another six from the Rukuba area. They beheaded them, killed their cows and rustled 232 cows. Who is killing who? And whom is fooling whom? I will never allow you to tell me it is Fulani until you can prove it beyond any reasonable doubt. Up till now, I have been begging the security agencies to do everything possible to arrest any of the attackers. Let us see who that person is; is he a Fulani man or a member of another community? If it is a Fulani, who is that Fulani? The Irigwe themselves testified at a security meeting where they alleged that the attackers were Fulani, but not local Fulani. It means some Fulani came from far away to attack them. If that is the case, who are those Fulani and what is their motive?
But is it possible for foreign Fulani to attack a community without the knowledge of the local ones on ground?
Criminal activities are so rampant in this area; if somebody will come outside the Irigwe area and attack, the Fulani on ground may not know and they may not be a party to it. If they are a party to it, I should have known by now. But up till now, I cannot arrive at a conclusion on those behind the killings. So, if it is the Fulani from other areas, as they alleged, it is something we should work together to unravel. The leadership of the Fulani, the Irigwes, the security agencies and the government should work together to see to the end of this ugly development.
Given the spate of reoccurrence and the pattern of killings in the past one month, would it be wrong to conclude that the crisis is being fueled by some people with unforgiving spirit and who have penchant for reprisal?
I don’t know what you mean by reprisal. When the people of Dantanko, a village in Bassa, were attacked and one Abubakar Wada was killed, that was the genesis of this problem. It was Dantanko that was attacked, but two week later, Ancha Village was attacked. The distant between Ancha and Dantanko is between five to seven kilometers. To tell me that it is those people whose son was killed and beheaded that went to attack Ancha people is not justifiable. The last Sunday issue you are talking about where a village, the Rukuba Chiefdom, is totally not Bassa. The security agencies have no report of an alleged killing of these people. So, whatsoever happened there might be the truth and it might be false.
I want the security agencies to do everything possible to identify who those people are. The Irigwe people claimed there was a day they were invited to hide in a school where security agencies will give them cover, but surprisingly in the night they were attacked in the school and killed. Please who is fooling who? With the presence of well-armed security agencies, the suspected hoodlums will attack and go scot-free and no arrest or killing and the hoodlums just vanished into the thin air. Are we saying they are ghosts? Please, let us tell ourselves the gospel truth so that we can manage these problems and see how we can restore peace to the community.
But what do you think is responsible for the latest attack where 29 people were killed?
I don’t have answer to this question. You should ask the security men that were there. What happened? Let them explain. Something must have gone wrong.
What is your association doing to stop these senseless killings in Bassa and other troubled local government areas in the state?
We are doing everything possible to see that we restore peace and order to, not only in Bassa Local Government Area, but the entire Plateau State. Now I am on my way to Bassa to see the local government chairman and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO). We will put our heads together to see how normalcy could be restored to this area. I will suggest that the government invites some of the Irigwe stakeholders; let us put our heads together for proper understanding of one another so that we can resolve the issue as a family. If not, we don’t know who will be the next victim. We have been organising sensitisation programmes around the state; we have done the first one and we were about to commence the second phase before this problem started. The theme of this programme is ‘Peace on the Plateau’.
The Plateau State government imposed a curfew in the troubled local government area, yet the killings continue. What is the essence of the curfew?
This simply means the curfew has not solved the problem. So, we have to go back to the drawing board to see the next line of action that should be taken. Curfew was imposed to restrict movement of people, but when it fails, it then means we are failing. The next thing is to change our line of action.
What is your assessment of the military operation in the area?
The military should re strategise; they are professionals. Their profession is fighting and they were given equipment to fight. How would somebody attack and finish them? If some little hoodlums would come and operate and kill people while they (the military personnel) are on ground, it then means there must be an adjustment. If there are saboteurs among them, they should fish them out or if there are interested parties in the killings, they should be dealt with so that they don’t tarnish the image of Nigeria and the military.
How is your association handling the issues of cattle rustling and encroachment of cattle into farm lands?
These are issues we have been managing for a very long time; animal trespassing to farmland, farmers blocking cattle routes, these are the major problems. When you block cattle routes, cow must move and if there is no route for them, they may decide to move into farmland and that may lead to trouble. So, we are doing everything possible with the state Ministry of Agriculture and the security agencies to give cows access routes in order to ensure that there might not be problem again. This is just minor problem. When cattles cause damage to farmland, there should be compensation and this we have been doing. If mistakenly they kill a cow, there should be compensation also.
Are you saying the Fulanis are being stigmatised because everywhere, especially in the North, it has always being Fulani against other people and they are being perceived as troublesome people. What is your take on this?
We are very much disturbed, not only in Plateau State, but in the entire country because the main issues are not being revealed. If it is armed robbery, people will say it is Fulani; if it is stealing, they would say it is Fulani; rape cases they would ascribe them to the Fulanis. Why is it always Fulanis? If you go to Southern Kaduna, they massacred the Fulani in the area, but you will not hear any story about the Southern Kaduna Fulani. Look at what happened in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State when the military said it was purely genocide against the Fulani community, but Fulani voices are not being heard because they are rural people and they don’t have media of their own.
I am calling on media organisations, especially the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the security agencies to work hard towards achieving peace. I am baffled with the security agencies; even if you call their top hierarchy to give them information, their lines are not always going. But first thing in the morning, they will tell you it was done by suspected Fulani herdsmen, without any arrest, without investigation, without prosecution and conviction. This is injustice and this division of our community, it will never help us. We should also allow the security agencies to do their work to get rid of this crisis completely. When you said it is Fulani, which type of Fulani? This is because we have a lot Fulani in Nigeria. It is a very large community in Nigeria; there is no village without the Fulanis in Nigeria.
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