A prominent civil rights group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has blamed federal government’s deliberate refusal to arrest, prosecute and punish sponsors of armed Fulani terrorist for the ongoing bloodbath in parts of Plateau state.

HURIWA said from all indications, some highly placed officials in the current administration, including the Minister of Defence have already taken sides and may have decided not to take any measure to bring the armed Fulani herdsmen to book due to Ethno-religious considerations which runs contrary to the tenets, letters and spirits of the Constitution. The group also askthat the presidency to stop shedding crocodile tears each time Fulani herdsmen slaughter innocentNigerians.

“We have consistently called on President Muhammadu Buhari who ought to behave like the father of the nation for the duration of his four year tenure, but we have called on him in the last three years to declare Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association a terrorist group and to round up and prosecute top officials of this body, who had in the past, granted media interviews threatening to stop the implementation of the anti-open grazing law.

Our calls have fallen on deaf ears and, indeed, our national coordinator had instead come under direct threats twice by a powerful serving military General holding a strategic command position, questioning why our group has consistently condemned the armed Fulani terrorism. Our lives are now under severe threats for condemning the blood-letting attacks by Fulani herdsmen.

“But rather than respect the constitutional oath of office, President Buhari subscribed to, and employ decisive legal based mechanisms to tackle the killings. President Buhari had chosen to always issue dry press statements mourning the victims even as his Defence Minister had on many occasions blamed Benue, Taraba governors for the attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen owing to the anti-open grazing law.

On his own part, the Minister of Interior, whose officials have failed to stop the proliferation of sophisticated weapons used by armed Fulani herdsmen has stayed put in office and has refused to behave like a gentleman and quit honourably so Nigeria can have an effective Interior Minister.”

In a statement to the media, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the one hundred percent blame for the spate of attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen falls squarely on the desk of the Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces who has retained all the security chiefs who are of Fulani/Hausa Moslem affiliations.”

“Nigerians must understand that the solution to these spate of killings rests squarely with President Muhammadu Buhari who has all the constitutional powers to decisively crush the sponsors and attackers who are not ghosts but are linked to Miyetti Allah.”

“By his constitutional oath, Mr. President ought not to pamper or tolerate Miyetti Allah even if the officials and members share same religious and ethnic background, unless the current government is bent on scuttling constitutional democracy.”

“We totally condemn the spate of killings in parts of Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria masterminded by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen. We totally reject the press statement by President Buhari reportedly regretting the killings when he has the power to declare the killers as terrorists. The federal government is currently planning to spend N170 billion of taxpayers’ money to seize/confiscate ancestral lands of Nigerians for the purposes of erecting ranches for private Fulani owners of cows. This is totally illegal and unconstitutional.”

“How can this government be so insensitive and irresponsible to carry on with a jamboree of the political party in power at the center in the name of a charade called national convention with 5,000 armed policemen guarding less than 2,000 people but over 100 innocent children, women and old men were killed same time by armed Fulani herdsmen?”

HURIWA also condemned the National Assembly for engaging in empty political rhetorics/talks each time armed Fulani terror gangs kill Nigerians instead of exercising their constitutional power of impeaching the president for failing in his primary constitutional duty which is to protect lives and property of Nigerians.

“Nigerians must speak out and hold sustained public protests in absolute condemnation of these selective genocides before armed Fulani herdsmen take their killings to other parts of Nigeria.”

Update news