Herdsmen’s killings: Except there’s secret agenda, govt should be proactive —United Baptist Mission Prelate

Prelate of United Baptist Mission of Nigeria, Right Reverend Dr Osama Usuanlele, in an interaction with ABIODUN JIMOH, bares his mind on herdsmen’s killings in various parts of the country, the present administration’s fight against corruption and how Christians can ensure they make a difference in the forthcoming general election.

WHAT is your view on the activities of herdsmen in recent times?

The herdsmen issue is a very sad development in the history of Nigeria, and we just wonder what could have happened. Before now, the herdsmen lived with the people in peace and harmony, but all of a sudden, they have become a nuisance to others in the society. I think their excesses now have become intolerable, and it should be curbed.  If we are Nigerians, there is this realisation and consciousness that we are all created by the same God. So, what makes one think he is superior to others? What makes another person become a lesser human being than yourself? These are things they should also look into. The senseless killings by these herdsmen signal a total lack of regard for human lives. The sanctity of human life has become so bastardised and remote that one wonders what is really going on. There is no place to be called safe now in Nigeria as a result of their actions.

What do you think is actually wrong?

It has become notoriously unbearable because government is not doing anything concerning that. Even the silence of government seems to be encouraging them. Or are they also saying that they are helpless as far as the matter is concerned?

Some persons are of the notion that they seem to be acting as if they are above the law?

That is exactly what is going on in Nigeria now. Even the way they are going about it, the owner of the business has no voice to complain about the destruction of his farmland. If he talks, in some cases, he gets killed. And this is done with impunity. A person, who kills, with the knowledge that nobody will ask him, believes he is above the law. Why have they suddenly become above the law? What is happening? These are questions that we need to ask. However, when their cattle is killed or stolen, they will cry about it, and government will react. This is not the case when human beings are killed. That brings us to the question of how safe we are in Nigeria. It will not be far from the truth that it is an attempt to Islamise this nation. That is how we are beginning to see it. All of a sudden, we have groups representing the herdsmen with talk that nobody can stop them.

How would you assess the church’s reaction to these allegations of attempts to Islamise the country?

It is not that the church is not talking; the church is condemning it. However, we thank God for some bold pastors, who have been talking from the pulpit and risking their lives. We do our part and leave the rest to God and that is what the church is doing at the moment. The church is creating awareness. The church is also putting pressure on the government to do something about this situation.

How about government’s reaction to the crisis?

When the president was sworn in, he declared that he was for everybody and not for anybody, but how true is that statement? What he has demonstrated is that he is for a particular group of people. Why has the government not been so proactive concerning this matter? How many herdsmen have so far been arrested, persecuted, imprisoned? See what happened with the agitations for Biafra. Government’s reaction was swift and strong, bringing in armoured tanks and the army. However, herdsmen kill people on a daily basis and nothing has been done. Why has the government abandoned the people who gave them mandate to watch over them? It is like there is a secret agenda. If government is not part of it, why will they all of a sudden suggest the creation of cattle colonies for these people?

Do they understand what a colony is? It means the area you set aside for these people become their own permanently, and this they will receive free of charge. What it means again is that there will be conflict of interest, because there will be cultural differences. When they live there, there is the likelihood that they would have their leaders. What happens to the traditional rulers of that state or the communities? Will they take orders from them the moment they have established their own government in the colonies? Will they not want to take over the whole place? Is that not how it started in Sokoto? Then why will government came up with such kind of idea? How many times have government come out to say that all those that have goats in the West will be given colonies? What is so special about the herdsmen that they want to give them colonies?

So, what is your stand on the issue?

We reject it; we refuse it in totality. Whoever wants a land, let him pay for it. When I wanted to build a house in my state, nobody gave me land free of charge. I paid for it and I got a certificate of occupancy for it; that is not government’s business. What was the situation before now? Nigerian belongs to everybody; there is no particular tribe that can lay claim to leadership in Nigeria. Every Nigerian is qualified to rule this country. Therefore, to seek for exclusive preserve of a place for a particular tribe, such people are dreaming. They are fanning the embers of disunity. They are asking because the others will not agree to it and if they do not agree, it simply means that we are likely to go our separate ways.

Nigeria’s unity is at stake, unless something is done. They want to graze their cattle and all that. Sambisa forest is a large expanse of land; let them take their cattle there and establish cattle colonies. That, we agree to. But to come to the South and say they want to establish cattle colonies, it is unacceptable. The Bible states: “If a man knows that a thief is going to come to his house at night, what will he do, will he just fold his hands and wait for the thief? He will prepare himself.” That is the stage in which they are pushing the Christians to defend themselves. It is like prayer alone will not solve these issues. Government should not turn a deaf ear to what clerics are saying, so that we would continue to coexist.

The love that we used to know before: there were the Awolowos, the Azikiwes, the Sadaunas, the Aminu Kanos and they all lived together. Nigeria was good and peaceful at that time. Therefore, let the labour of our heroes past not be in vain. Government should rise up now. They have the means, security apparatus to put in place and arrest this situation, because it is escalating. If it is not checked now, nobody will be able to stand the consequences. We pray that it does not get to that level.

Before one can get a gun in Nigeria, you have to possess a licence. So, who licensed herdsmen to carry the kind of guns they parade? Why is government quiet on this matter? First, the Inspector General of Police goofed, when he said it was just a communal clash, and later he came to apologise. If it were to be in another country, he would have been sacked immediately because he did not study the situation properly before talking to the public. That was a careless speech and he should pay dearly for it, but in Nigeria anything goes.

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