The coalition of Ethnic Nationalities of Nigeria has berated the nation’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami for his opposition to the banning of open grazing by Fulani herdsmen in the southern part of the country.
The youth groups also accused him of promoting religious division in the country when he should be concerned about the unity and progress of every section.
In a statement by their leader, Comrade Nensok Luka Gonet, who is the National Chairman, Indigenous Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria, EYLN, the youth groups vowed to use every means within the ambit of the law to defend, protect and secure their various communities against all forms of banditry, violent criminality and terrorism.
According to them, Nigeria’s insecurity had reached a stage that they can no longer remain docile.
“We have loss a lot of our citizens to bandits and Unknown gunmen. Indigenous people of Nigeria are killed on daily basis, our communities are being ransacked by aliens. We would have no option but to mobilise ourselves as indigenous ethnic youths of Nigeria to defend our territories if this continues.
“There is no single day passed without indigenous Nigerians being killed in one community or the other by “unknown gunmen” and “bandits”. It is becoming clear that our government we so much believed in cannot protect us.
” Bloodbath in Benue, Plateau ,Niger in North central Nigeria; same in Zamfara, Southern Kaduna, Sokoto and others in Northwest; Abia, Imo, Enugu are being ransacked everyday by same bandits and unknown gunmen in the south East; South-South and South West are battling same, no region of Nigeria is left out.
“It is surprising to us that the Attorney General and minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) would come on national TV to comment that “banning open grazing in the South is like banning spare parts selling in the north.
” This does not correlate at all, we want to believe it is his personal opinion. While the likes of Governor Ganduje of Kano state who understands the modern techniques of animal husbandry advocating for ban on open grazing, Malami is overwhelmed by sentiments in his reactions.
“Spare parts sellers seek consent of shop owners and pay their shop rents to sell their spare parts, but the herders move around peoples land grazing without their consent, and sometimes even grazing on already cultivated farmlands causing crisis”, they said.
While restating their full support to Southern Governors to stand their grounds against open grazing ban, they said only this can curtail the prevailing insecurity in Nigeria.
They alleged that the government’s reckless and open support to the killer herdsmen, with Malami’s position, shows it’s unwillingness to end the ravaging insecurity in Nigeria.
“We call on our local vigilante groups, hunters and our community youths to be vigilant and support the efforts of our security agencies to cope the incessant killings by foreigners in our communities. We the indigenous ethnic youths of Nigeria are tired of burying our loved ones and would be left with no choice but defend our communities.
“Our elders raised this, and still raising concerns on the state of things and the situation keeps getting worse. Our brothers and sisters who took the oath to defend their fatherland serving in the military, police and other security agencies of Nigeria being killed helplessly, our communities being attacked on daily basis, and highways now gold mines for bandits who kidnapped for ransome, robbing our people of their heart earned treasures”, they said.
