A pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has told President Muhammadu Buhari that he will write his name in gold as a nationalist and a political legend if he overlooks his Ethno-religious sentiments and take bold steps to effectively put an end to incessant terror attacks of farming communities by armed Fulani herdsmen.

HURIWA said the first reasonable step was for the President to direct his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, to file an application before the Federal High Court, Abuja division to procure the legal banning of armed herdsmen and their activities and to declare them as terrorists so as to put an end to the persistent massacres of unarmed farmers and other innocent members of the public living peacefully in their respective communities across the country.

The rights group said the President who is a Septuagenarian should only be concerned about doing and saying only those things and policies that can advance human progress and create mutual harmony amongst the divergent Ethno-Religious affiliations that constitute Nigeria in order to create a legitimate legacy as a consummate patriot and a nationalist rather than continue with the seemingly conspiratorial silence and not take concrete and verifiable security steps to combat the menace of armed Fulani herdsmen which has become a very troubling security challenge threatening national cohesion and endangering national security.

HURIWA, in a statement jointly signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss ZainabYusuf, said that several global bodies have already categorised armed Fulani herdsmen as one of the most deadliest terrorist organisations in the world next to the Boko Haram terrorists in ferocity and degree of mass casualties of citizens from their many bloody violence unleashed on communities across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and wonders why President Buhari still don't think these armed Fulani herdsmen are as deadly as terrorists.

HURIWA recalled that in the last two years deadly attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen have precipitated the killings of over 8,000 innocent civilians and the dispossession of farming communities in places like Southern Kaduna and Benue State, just as these armed Fulani herdsmen operate like a well funded and well coordinated platform because whenever any attacks attributable to them occur they quickly demobilise and disappear into thin air even as it seems that there are some levels of collaborative partnership between them and commanders of security forces across the country.

The rights group said: “After thorough consideration of the high levels of destruction of lives and property of Nigerians from all parts of the country, perpetrated by armed Fulani herdsmen, we believe that the best solution to these incessant invasions and attacks is for President Buhari to step up his approach and worldview of the seriousness of these trends and take concrete legal, security and logistical steps to militarily put an end to the persistent genocide by armed Fulani herdsmen by first and foremost declaring armed Fulani herdsmen as terrorists. This declaration should be taken as a declaratory readiness of this government to implement enduring and sustainable solutions to the incessant terror attacks by rogue armed herdsmen irrespective of whichever place they originate so long as their deadly attacks have often targeted our citizens.

“By declaring armed Fulani herdsmen as terrorists, the rest of the peace loving Fulani herdsmen would now be encouraged to carry out their commercial activities to comply with global best practices such as the establishment of ranches to cater for their cattle and to restrain the herders from the willful invasions of farmlands and farming communities which results in murderous frictions and wanton destruction of lives and property of the citizens.”

HURIWA recalled that Alhaji Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Mefia and Publicity to the President had claimed that armed Fulani herdsmen that have killed thousands of Nigerians and unleashed devastating destruction to property of farmers and villagers all over the country are not terrorists but mere criminals.

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