The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to deal “honestly and openly” with the reality of the deliberate genocide and targeted attacks of Christians and farmers by a combination of armed Fulani herdsmen and Islamists of Boko Haram terrorists’ genre which have skyrocketed since five years ago that he came to power.

The rights organisation in a statement on Monday in Abuja faulted what it called “the diversionary tactics” of the Presidency in which for five years it has chased imaginary enemies such as the unarmed Indigenous peoples of Biafra (IPOB) which it wrongly branded as a terrorists group but has failed to rein in or declare as terrorists the backers of the armed Fulani herdsmen such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association which had actively, through media statements, backed the incessant attacks of communities in the mainly Christian dominated areas including the series of attacks in Benue, Plateau states and Southern Kaduna.

HURIWA in the statement signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, stated that in 2018 around June when a mass killing of at least 86 people who were attending a funeral event in Plateau state took place, Miyetti Allah said it was an act of revenge following an earlier attack.

HURIWA recalled that the police that have serially failed to protect Christians and farmers from the violence even said the 86 people were killed in several villages while six persons were injured in the attack.

But residents said over 120 people were massacred in separate attacks at different locations.

HURIWA recalled that the state government imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in parts of the state, amid growing tensions between locals and migrant herdsmen community. Residents blame the attacks on Fulani herdsmen, a group represented by the Miyetti Allah.

But the chairman the North Central chapter of MACBAN, Danladi Ciroma, justified the attacks describing it as “retaliatory”.

“These attacks are retaliatory. As much as I don’t support the killing of human being, the truth must be told that those who carried out the attacks must be on revenge mission.

“Fulani herdsmen have lost about 300 cows in the last few weeks – 94 cows were rustled by armed Berom youths in Fan village, another 36 cows were killed by Berom youths. In addition to that, 174 cattle were rustled.”

HURIWA has therefore lamented that each time Miyetti Allah makes inflammatory and incendiary statements threatening national security, the Presidency will always go back to its old bag of tricks to excavate her persistent but unintelligent accusations against imaginary enemies including IPOB even at the risk of denying the widespread anti Christian and anti-farmers violence by Boko Haram terrorists and armed Fulani herdsmen.

HURIWA recalled that the presidency had recently accused IPOB of using false claims to deceive the United States and the United Kingdom just as the government official said using the cover of Christianity, the presidency said IPOB is calling for a US special envoy to be appointed to stop the “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria.

But in a statement on Sunday, Garba Shehu, spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari, said the real purpose of IPOB is to cause disagreement between the Nigerian government and its US and UK/European allies.

HURIWA however dismissed this soft tissue of propaganda against the banned IPOB as a diversionary tactic by the current administration to take the attention of the global community away from the genocide and killings of Christians and farmers by the Boko Haram terrorists and armed Fulani herdsmen going on all over the country.

HURIWA asked the Presidency if it was located in the outer planet when the Islamic terror group of Boko Haram rejected N50 million ransom and killed Christian Association of Nigerian chairman which was published extensively on January 22, 2020 by The Guardian as well as all the other newspapers “including the pro-regime Daily Trust newspaper.”

Continuing, HURIA said: “It was reported that outrage trailed the murder of the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Rev. Lawan Andimi, after Boko Haram insurgents who kidnapped him rejected a N50 million ransom.

“The state CAN chairman, Bishop Dami Mamza, who broke the sad news to some journalists in Yola, said that the insurgents had demanded two million euros (about N50 million) and still went ahead to kill the innocent cleric.”

HURIWA also recalled that a report has it that armed Fulani herdsmen killed six in Kaduna village which was Published on August 16, 2016 by Punch Newspaper and other newspapers which reported that Suspected Fulani herdsmen that week killed six farmers at Godogodo in the Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

“It was gathered that the herdsmen told the villagers that their villages had become cattle grazing reserves and demanded that they vacate immediately.

“But the chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of Miyetti Ahallah, Dr. Haruna Usman, said the Fulani herdsmen were on a revenge mission, noting that his men were not ‘crazy like that’ to just kill anybody,” HURIWA noted.

It also referred to a report published on October 20, 2016 by World Watch Monitor, “which stated that gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen have killed more than 40 people in Godogodo village, a Christian settlement in the Jama’a Local Government Area in Nigeria’s northern state of Kaduna. The area, in the south of Kaduna State, has been attacked several times before.

“The gunmen were said to have attacked a military checkpoint in the area before invading the village.”

The rights group cited several other instances to buttress its point.