Now, were the Fulanis the first to attack? Or were they the initial victims simply meting out revenge? I don't know, but the latest news report of the Nigerian army invading a Fulani village in Nasarawa state yesterday morning and killing 30 people, shooting at every Fulani in sight, was troubling (full report here).
According to the report in Premium Times newspaper, Fulani organisation Miyetti Allah confirmed that over 30 Fulani people were killed, mostly old men who were unable to run when the soldiers started firing. The group's secretary Muhammed Husseini accused the Nigerian Government of complicity in the killing and is planning to sue the government.
“I’m presently in the mortuary receiving corpses. They killed over 30 of our men for no reason. This is genocide and we will approach the International Criminal Court, ICC,” he said.
Some of the dead recovered from the invasion
The military had deployed troops to Nasarawa, Benue and Kaduna following attacks on several communities in the states by suspected Fulani herdsmen, leading to the death of scores of people.
Fulanis in rural areas of the North are often victims and perpetrators of attacks, mostly because of age-old territorial disputes and other slights they feel other tribes had perpetrated on themselves and their cattle and property. Some Fulanis are on the rampage over disputed grazing fields for their cattle, and stolen cattle, whilst the town dwellers are also aggrieved when their crops are eaten and trampled on by Fulani cattle.
Ethnic-based enmity is alive and seething in Nigeria y'all.
So the Fulanis attack, and other tribes retaliate; other tribes attack, and the Fulani retaliate. But it seems the Fulani are the ones doing more of the attacks these days. Also, various unconnected Fulani communities and attackers that may not even be Fulani across Nigeria that engage in violent disputes with their neighbours may be called 'Fulani attackers,' making the situation seem even more rife, and the Fulani even more deadly.
On-going disputes in places like Nasarawa, Zamfara and Benue State have caused many villagers to flee after alleged Fulani gunmen storm their locales at night or early in the morning, shooting and killing at random. Recently, a group of 24 Fulani men were arrested with a truckload of guns, machetes, bows and arrows and knives.
However, for decades the nomadic Fulani lived amongst other tribes in peace, inter-marrying and becoming friends. In this report of refugees fleeing from Benue to Abuja following Fulani attacks, one old man said:
"I had to pack and leave with my whole family because I saw the fighters coming in and my Fulani neighbours told me they cannot guarantee my safety if I decided to stay. I have lived there all my life and I don't have anywhere else to call home but I had to leave because the mercenaries were already forming a base there.
"We (Tiv farmers) have never fought with Fulani herders here before. Whenever there are squabbles, we the elders from both ethnic groups come together and settle amicably, so it was strange when they asked me to leave. But they insisted they don't have a problem with us, that it was their people from Benue that asked them to tell us to leave."
Things seem to be heating up.
A taxi driver, upon hearing I was from Adamawa State, beamed and told me he was also from Adamawa (but he wasn't Fulani), then after some pleasantries, he told me of a horrifying visit to the state recently. The car he was travelling in broke down, and as evening had approached before it was finally fixed, both the other passengers in the car and himself were extremely worried because it was general knowledge that the road at night was patrolled by armed robbers.
They traveled on regardless, and soon came to a road block made of sharp materials that punctured the car tires, manned by Fulani men wielding machetes. I asked if he was sure they were Fulani, and he said it was obvious, as Fulanis have a distinct look everyone is familiar with.
They were forced to alight from the car, lie on the ground on their stomachs and remain silent as the Fulani men ransacked their pockets and car and took away all the valuables: their phones, his bag, money etc. If he had tried to escape they would have been killed, as the attackers were known for chopping people up with their machetes.
He said the men also carried locally made guns and communicated by making clicking sounds to each other, and they looked as if they were 'high.' The taxi driver and the other passengers were forced to sleep in the bush until morning when they walked the rest of the way to their destinations.
Now this conversation happened some months back, and my memory can be hazy sometimes, and I've had similar conversations with a variety of people about such car-jackings, although only the taxi driver specified Fulani attackers. So I'm not sure if the following details were told to me by this taxi driver or by someone else, but is interesting to note nonetheless: one of the passengers was a female who lied to attackers that she had HIV to prevent being raped; the carjackers were wearing amulets and other charms that prevented them from being injured by bullets.
So, certain parts of Northern Nigeria aren't too safe right now, what with the sporadic yet increasingly common 'Fulani gunmen,' and Boko Haram insurgents. I'm loathe to imagine that they could be linked, especially since the attacks are similar in nature: young men (sometimes dressed in black or fatigues) with weapons surround a settlement at night and kill indiscriminately, setting fire to houses before escaping in motorcycles, trucks or on foot.
With Boko Haram, questions have been raised (by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan even) about who pays for the sophisticated weaponry (AK47s etc) and brand new vehicles (convoys of Hilux trucks, motorcycles and vans) that aide in their terror campaigns.
Northern leaders recently alleged that helicopters have been seen repeatedly dropping weapons, food, medicine and other equipment in areas occupied by Boko Haram, implying that the militant group had wealthy financiers as well as informants in the military, police and other security agencies.
This leads on to another incident narrated to me by a taxi driver (they are excellent disseminators of information in my experience wherever I am in the world.) This one was from Borno State, and although he had the look and demeanour of a Muslim, I was surprised to learn he's a Christian. He told us his father and other family members were killed recently by Boko Haram in Borno. They surrounded his village one night and started killing people shouting 'Allahu Akbar' before fleeing in a convoy of Hilux trucks.
Then a couple of weeks later, he was supposed to pick me up the coming Monday to work (our car was at the mechanic's) but was unable to make it as he had to travel to Borno with his wife and baby girl, as his father-in-law was one of those killed by Boko Haram in this attack in the state.
It was tragically incredible to note that I knew someone who was personally affected by Boko Haram in such a chilling way, and I felt so bad for the young man, whose family had been so ravaged by the terrorists.
Abuja is still relatively safe (except for this shootout recently), but living in a country where people are regularly killed by a group from your tribe in places not too far away from you, as well as the on-going murders of innocents by state-sponsored enemies of the state is certainly unnerving.
But as Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Blood Diamonds said, "TIA. This is Africa."
The Nomadic Fulanis still believe they are living in the stone age, these barbaric killings must stop
ReplyDeleteAgreed with the second statement, not so much the first...
DeleteI happened to live for more than 15 years in a Northern state and i know a good number of the nomadic fulanis still believe they are living in the Usman Dan Fodio era where you can go on a killing campaign when you feel offended and because they have their tribemen in affairs, these barbaric acts go unpunished. It is either nomadic cattle rearing be stopped, more effective policing should be ensured to safeguard the lives of the rural farmers or the rural farmers be empowered to defend themselves so that the fulanis will be wary of violence.
DeleteThe fundamental root of the tangled conflicts and killings in Nigeria is that our many Nigerian peoples are being forced to belong in one country. We are radically different from one another in most aspects of human life. We would do ourselves a lot of favour if we peacefully separated. If peacefully handled, we can easily form a few manageable countries, and those countries can thereafter establish peaceful relations and trade with one another - just as our different peoples lived before the British forced us together as one country. However, the ones among us who constitute the so-called governments and who thereby occupy positions that enable them to steal huge fortunes for themselves will not let us separate. And powerful countries like Britain and America who have much to gain from Nigeria will not let us separate too. They are after their "interests"; they may sympathize and express outrage when we kill one another, but they will do everything in their power to keep Nigeria together. Nigeria is not one country bound together by love; it is a house of bondage forcibly kept together. It will always flow with blood. That is why more and more Nigerians ate fleeing abroad daily with their families. Some day, as the Lord lives, some people will accept the truth about this country called Nigeria and make separation happen.
DeleteThis rampant killing that many choose to ignore, is a result of a number of factors that Nigerians are very good at ignoring.
ReplyDeleteOver-population, lack of respect for law & order, and the absence of effective laws, corrupt leadership at local, regional, and national levels, poor land management and inadequate farming techniques (for horticulture and grazing livestock). Nigeria is not the size of the USA (not even 1/10th the area), Brazil or the Democratic Republic of Congo, land is not unlimited. No one has sought to seriously address this, as such this will ultimately be the elephant that can truly devastate Nigeria.
The leadership instead engage in hijacking religion, ethnicity and perceived differences as an excuse to whip up irrational fear, hatred and the accompanying violence, which goes unchecked.
If you read this article:
http://www.du.edu/korbel/hrhw/volumes/2002/2-1/magnarella2-1.pdf
It is primarily about the causes of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. You may say Nigeria is not Rwanda, this is true, but the same misrule that manifested itself at a national level there, is occurring throughout central and northern Nigeria. Desertification and land erosion are serious problems due to poor land management, and unchecked population growth, are causing pressures which lead to conflict.
Many grave parallels exist, the Tutsi were considered as "settlers" in Rwanda, they were nomadic, and have some slightly different facial appearance to the Hutus (the farmers). You can already see the parallels with your own native Fulani, and the various host communities.
These are serious issues which need to be addressed before we arrive at a Rwandan level of breakdown, this can already be seen in Plateau state.
I was a little saddened by your closing comment, giving weight and credence to what some misinformed Hollywood script writer has said. This may be Africa, but it doesn't necessarily follow, that mass killings are inevitable and excusable. Are we not human beings? Are we not better than that? Can we not work towards settling our differences amicably? With some thought and effective planning these problems can be solved.
When such a breakdown in law and order occurs so frequently, begs the question is that a society you really want to be living in?
I like your blog, it provides a voice to a section of Nigeria's population we rarely hear from, nagwode.
Yes I agree, the possible genocidal implications of these killings are serious and are been dangerously underestimated.
ReplyDeleteAs for my TIA comment, the thousands that have been killed by Boko Haram, weekly mass murders, bombings and whole razing of villages that happen again and again is sadly an African problem, can you imagine such things been allowed to occur with such frequency and remain unchecked in England or America?
Less than 20 schoolchildren were killed in shootings at an American school and all hell broke loose, Obama moved to change the laws and the level of debates was intense. Yet 200 school girls were kidnapped from their school in Borno by Boko Haram this week and nary a word from the President, and the girls kidnapped in similar circumstances two months ago I don't even know if they've been found. Imagine that scenario in the UK, the PM won't be able to sleep until they're found.
Life is cheap in Africa, confirmed. The political might to deal with these terrorists is weak. The more than 200 dead (the official figure of 71 is a gross lie, I saw the gruesome pics and heard eyewitness reports my self, I'll write about it soon) in the Abuja bomb blast this week is so shocking, but again nothing will change, nothing will be done. Imagine 200 Brits or Americans dying in London or New York like that, the fall out will be immense!
I despair. TIA indeed.
@ Fulani-Nigerian, this is "auchomage", I was the one that wrote the lengthy piece about the parallels between the Rwandan genocide and, and the frequent killings over land disputes in Nigeria.
DeleteI don't have the answers, but I do recognise that Nigeria is devoid of standards, what standards they have there are deemed unacceptable elsewhere in the world. (Standards apply to everything, from the quality of your drinking water, whether your food supply is untainted, whether the plane you fly on is airworthy, you name it, everything is governed by standards and protocol, which Nigerians pay little attention to). Hence a government that is not worth the paper they are written on, a military that are under performing, a population that is largely corrupt, these and many other bad things abound there. Despite all these short-comings, if there is a genuine will by a few enlightened and brave individuals, the situation can be turned around. Other people in other parts of the world in a situation that was a lot more dire, have succeeded, look at Rwanda and South Korea, Vietnam to name but a few examples.
I will say that time is running out, and that Nigerians can't continue to slumber forever praying for divine intervention to "miraculously" make everything right.
As the esteemed writer, Prof Soyinka has said "we need competent people to deal with the Boko Haram situation, not prayers."
As for the Boko Haram situation, one can't be surprised that the Jonathan administration is not doing well there. The performance of the government against terrorism is a reflection on how it is generally run, ie badly. You really need to start from the drawing board, in all aspects of government. It is unrealistic to expect government to perform badly everywhere else and expect to see security to be dealt with properly.
I read an article, which seemed quite sensible, I'm pretty sure that the Nigerian security agencies are not taking it seriously. Why? I don't know, but they can't do much worse than they are doing now.
Here is the article.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201404081568.html
It made sense to me. The government say they are spending a lot of money to fight terrorism, maybe they are, but where is the money going? What happens to it? Why don't people pressure the government to raise it's game?
All this talk of the Sambisa forest (a base for Boko Haram), one would have thought by now, that the government would have sealed the border and launched an operation to flush out the terrorists from that stronghold once and for all, and build a base to secure that area permanently. Didn't the Americans go after Osama Bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan, which was a whole lot more challenging, they did flush him out from there. He was hiding in deep bunkers in the mountainside. The mountains are larger and terrain and climate more inhospitable.
If the will is there, these challenges can be met.
If you resign yourself to the fact that Nigeria will be forever as it is, it surely will be like that. If you don't then there is always the hope that things can get better. Yes, unfortunately human life in Africa is very cheap, but it doesn't always have to be like that. In England and America, there was a time when life was not as respected as it is now. The issue for Nigeria is time, they don't have hundreds of years to figure this out and take the necessary measures. If things go on as they are now, the future will be very gloomy indeed.
I too was born in Croydon. The weather here today is "a ok".
There can be debates about who provoked who in the conflicts between Fulani cattlemen and their neighbours in THE NORTH.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the explanation for their being in conflict with people in the South? Fulani cattlemen have been involved in deadly conflict as far south as Imo, Ekiti and Akwa Ibom States.