When Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, daughter of then Afenifere Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was killed by suspected Fulani terrorists masquerading as herdsmen around Ore, Ondo State, in July 2019, Tinubu turned up at the home of the bereaved Elderly Statesman in Akure, the capital. As Tinubu made to leave the old man’s residence, journalists surrounded him and asked his opinion about the Fulani herdsmen as a growing security threat. Offhandedly, the former Lagos State Governor responded: “Where are the cows?”

It would have been a valid question except for its tragic naivety or patronising sarcasm. Although violence by Fulani herdsmen had become commonplace in rural Nigeria, several among them have embraced highway kidnapping as a full-time or part-time business. They need AK-47s, not just cows.

Except that ruminant cows will feel insulted to share their nomenclature with these murderous beasts, these killers are the cows. And they must be tackled, Commander-In-Chief.

Earlier, in the same Ondo State, Chief Only Falae’s farm suffered repeated attacks from 2015, up to 2021. Herdsmen invaded his sprawling farm with their cows and dared him to do his worst. They killed his security guard one day. Ultimately, the invaders kidnapped the former Minister of Finance himself. Such attacks have not ceased. Officially, they are tagged, “farmers-herders” clashes, even when the realities prove otherwise. Itinerant herdsmen brazenly invade natives’ farms, kill unarmed farmers and rape women.

One Black week this January 2024, three Yoruba Obas, kings in Ekiti State and Kwara State, lost their lives in attacks by suspected Fulani terrorists.

Around the same period, villagers in Ondo State fled their homes, after nonstop attacks from Fulani terrorists, who combine kidnapping, raping, looting and killing with their nefarious pastime of destroying crops and hectares and kilometres upon kilometres of farmlands. One study says these beasts slew over 4,000 South-West farmers since 2015. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, Nigeria since 2005 has lost some 8,343 persons to such unprovoked molestations.

Just this week, over 35 Benue people were killed cold-bloodedly (AGAIN!) in their homes by these animals. That is overlooking the over 100 they slaughtered in Plateau last Christmas Eve.

As a counterforce against such invasions, governors in the six South-West states formed the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed “Amotekun” in January 2020. The South-East formed Ebubeagu. Benue formed the Community Volunteer Guards. There also emerged the Edo State Joint Vigilance Network. However, such initiatives have proved incapable of matching the firepower of these foreign non-state actors. The Muhammadu Buhari regime particularly had a soft spot for these criminals. Buhari is Fulani. No sooner were they arrested than orders would “come from above” for their prompt release. Furthermore, natives marshalling resistance against the invaders and their cows found themselves locked up, attacked and even killed by the DSS, Police and Army. Refer to Sunday Igboho’s troubles. Even Aso Rock spokesmen turned into their mouthpiece in those days.

READ ALSO: Fasehun, the legend who saw tomorrow, By Felix Oboagwina

Ancient Fulani irredentism drives much of this violence. These foreign Fulani feed on the oft-stated passion of Fulani hegemonists to rule the Nigerian space from the-Sahara-Desert-to-the-Atlantic-Ocean, even when the tribe constitutes a proven minority among Nigeria’s 220 million population and over 370 tribes. These other races rarely ever initiate violence against the Fulani. So, what propels the deathly hostility the Fulani throw against their otherwise peaceful neighbours? Simple, the Nigerian Fulani courts the foreign Fulani in order to enjoy the advantage of numbers.

Ironically, however, the boomerang effect has set in and the Nigerian Fulani has himself turned into a victim –raped, kidnapped, displaced, harassed and killed by his well-armed foreign Fulani cousin. What should fetch the native Fulani advantage currently constitutes an albatross. In fact, the Nigerian Fulani are doubly jeopardised. They are harangued by the armed foreign Fulani and as well by Nigerian victims seeking reprisals over the violence of the foreign Fulani.

The Fulani empire illusion has no place in the light of modern civilisation. The Fulani must bury this far-fetched hallucination. For peace to reign, their chauvinistic mission of expansionism must be buried. In its place should spring a harmonious Nigeria nationalism dedicated to accommodating every tribe and tongue within a nation where no man is oppressed.

To the Commander-in-Chief: Government derives its raison d’etre on the provision of security, as captured in the Constitution’s Section 14(1)(b). Inter alia, it says, “…the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” Kinetic-and-non-kinetic, carrot-and-stick approaches must be applied to fulfil this responsibility. Thus, the invaders’ exit can be procured by incentives. Otherwise, do-or-die force must be applied. All stratagems must be on the table if the Tinubu government has the political will to stop the genocidal ethnic-cleansing.

Currently Fulani-infested Agatu in Benue State must revert to the displaced Agatu natives. So must all the lands and communities currently occupied by non-Nigerian foreigners –be they Fulani, Berbers, Arabs, Nigeriens, Islamists or Libyans. Armed non-natives must be served with quit notice, exit deadline and a retreat timetable. Bonafide Nigerians currently living in IDP camps must return to their homelands and resume farming from Benue to Plateau to Niger to Adamawa to Zamfara to Yobe to Borno to Ekiti to Osun to Ogun to Enugu to Delta to Edo.

In each of the war theatres, brigade commanders should get a shape-up-or-ship-out order. Commanders who cannot displace invading strangers should be relieved of their posts and replaced with others, capable of leading the last-ditch charge. All office-comfy Generals should be pushed out to the war field. Let them taste the bitter heat of war; only then will they empathise with the foot-soldiers who have had to endure and suffer all these years of prolonged insurgency. It is time we bring back home our war-weary boys.

Enough is enough of the greed that fuels this insurgency that has become some Army Generals’ and security chiefs’ ATM and cash-cow. Their greed has led to unnecessary slaughtering of the ill-equipped, ill-motivated boys at the warfront in an unduly long-drawn insurgency. Didn’t General Sani Abacha say that any insurgency lasting beyond 24 hours is fuelled by the authorities? How long has this one lasted?

If BAT had queried “where are the cows” to sustain himself in the good books of apostles of Fulani hegemony like Muhammadu Buhari and Nasir El-Rufai, fate has brought him into office of Commander-in-Chief to do right by all Nigerians. Owo omode ti te’ku ida bayi o. Tinubu must wield the sword to protect Nigerian citizens and restore peace to the land. He must bridle unbridled impunity fast.

The Fulani empire illusion has no place in the light of modern civilisation. The Fulani must bury this far-fetched hallucination.

These marauders and murderers cannot be regarded as Nigerians. They are aliens. Foreigners. These are the outside vermin that the in-house vermin invited to raid the barnyard. But these strangers now pose a danger to not only the barnyard but to their cousin inviters. They must be pushed back to whatever hellhole they crept out from. These killer foreign spoilsports must leave us to resuscitate the age-old camaraderie we have always enjoyed with our bonafide Nigerian Fulani neighbours, business partners, in-laws, associates and the jovial cow herders we grew up to know.

All vital West African, African and Universal protocols should be invoked to compel these foreign raiders’ parent countries to come and take their citizens back home. A cut-off date should be set. Following D-Day, any undocumented foreign Fulani, Berber, Arab, Libyan, Nigerien or Islamist should be regarded as persona non grata. Any of them found with guns and AK-47 should be shot on sight. They should thenceforth be regarded as “saara,” “sadakah,” sacrifices and collateral damages, expendable in the quest to restore Nigerian peace. This new Commander-in-Chief must back up the governors in banning open grazing, while encouraging ranching controlled by the locals. Secondly, everyone living in the forests must leave, as the governors have demanded. Additionally, government should invest in camera-equipped drones and other armed unmanned aerial vehicles to target these non-state kidnappers and killers.

Except that ruminant cows will feel insulted to share their nomenclature with these murderous beasts, these killers are the cows. And they must be tackled, Commander-In-Chief.

*Oboagwina is an author, journalist and publisher, reachable via: foboagwina@gmail.com

The post Commander-In-Chief, tackle these cows appeared first on Frontpageng.

When countries around the globe are busy thinking of how to build world class universities that will have positive impacts on their societies, it is unfortunate that some universities in Nigeria could still be burdened with the task of keeping cows away from their classrooms. Sometimes, stories about happenings in Nigeria are just unbelievable. Or, how can anyone fathom a cry for help by a university to curtail cattle invasion of its premises?

This is pure tragedy especially now that many universities are working on attracting more funds to embark on cutting-edge researches that will create solutions to world’s challenges. It is bad enough that higher institutions in the country are confronted with myriads of challenges occasioned by either maladministration or paucity of funding. To now add the problem of competing with cows for space in a university environment is one problem too many.

The management of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, had on Tuesday raised the alarm that herdsmen were turning the institution into a cattle colony. The registrar, Mr. John Nnabuihe, described how difficult it was to drive to the university’s Senate Building that morning due to the massive cattle invasion of the institution. He further disclosed that the university had written letters to the Cattle Owners Association and copied heads of security agencies, complaining about the development. Going by the registrar’s account, one could deduce that the cattle were more than mere occasional visitors to the campus. They seem to be regular visitors if not permanent residents.  This should be more than enough distraction in a learning environment on the norm.

Sincerely, but for the credible source of this information, it would have been hard to believe that Nigeria has degenerated to a level where cows could be competing with students and staff members for space in an ivory tower!

Of course, FUTO is not the first university to complain about the activities of herdsmen on their campuses. The University of Ilorin and University of Uyo had at one time or the other, lodged similar complaints. It is just that the latest cry from FUTO seems to be more alarming in that the cattle there appear to be bolder and more unrestrained.

Unfortunately, cattle have been sacking pupils from classrooms in Nigeria for some time now. There are many verified videos of such invasion online. Indeed, with the way these cattle move from one level of school to the other, one might be tempted to think that the animals actually understand what it means to progress from a primary school to secondary, and then the university.

Two years ago, teachers and pupils of Ohovbe Primary School, Ikpoba, in Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, abandoned their classrooms and scampered for safety, when a herd of cattle invaded the school. The school authorities watched helplessly, not knowing what to do.

In January this year, a similar thing happened at Ideke Secondary School in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State as cattle and herdsmen took over the school. The school’s head teacher, Mrs. Mercy Emumen, could only turn to the state ministry of education for help. Mercifully, the ministry moved into action and evacuated the cows from the classroom for normal academic activities to continue.  The Ogun State Government has also had cause in the past to complain about the invasion of its schools by cattle and herdsmen. The education ministry specifically warned cattle herders to stay off the premises of its model schools.

While cattle escaping to graze within school compounds may not be entirely strange even in the developed countries, it is still viewed as an aberration all the same. Hence, authorities step in as fast as possible to ensure normality as witnessed at a South Georgia middle and high school four years ago, when a small herd of escaped cattle decided to stop and graze at the school’s manicured lawns.  The police immediately redirected the cows to where they belonged-a farm located behind the school.

Needless to say, in a country where over 10 million schoolchildren are officially out of school, it is evil omen to allow cattle chase out of classrooms those that have beaten the odds against dropping out of school.

Nigerian universities are still struggling to provide ordinary power-something that is taken for granted in many parts of the world. More than 15 years ago, a vice-chancellor in one of the nation’s first generation universities disclosed that the institution was spending over N120 million per year on diesel. That was when a litre of diesel was less than N100. This gives an idea of the amount of money power alone could be gulping in many higher institutions in the country today. Just this Tuesday, two students of the Federal University, Oye –Ekiti in Ekiti State, lost their lives while protesting lack of power supply to the institution. They were reportedly killed by the police that were invited to contain the situation.  By the way, the Nigeria police have a lot to learn from their counterparts in Hong Kong. Thousands of people in Hong Kong have been protesting for months now but there is yet to be a record of any casualty.  Shooting at unarmed citizens simply because they are demanding for their rights, is a despicable crime.

Meanwhile, the situation in FUTO should be a major concern to all well-meaning Nigerians.  How can universities that are burdened with the task of chasing cattle away from their classrooms and campuses do what universities are meant to be doing in the 21st century?  People keep complaining that Nigerian universities are nowhere to be found among top universities in the world.  The few ones that appear on world universities’ ratings are far below the list. We must realize that the environment of study is as important as the quality of teaching in any institution. Besides, the negative report of cattle invading a university campus is likely to do more damage to the reputation of our institutions as a whole, than any good.

Huawei is currently planning to spend more than US$300 million a year in research funding for universities all over the world. I doubt if Nigerian universities are in the picture. It is not yet late for our universities to start work on attracting some of this huge investment in human knowledge for the benefit of the citizenry and the society as a whole. This is one of the productive tasks universities should be undertaking, not the duty of chasing out cows from their classrooms in the 21st century.

Whether we like it or not, the world will judge products of Nigerian universities based on the reports they read about these institutions. Nobody is likely to hold in high esteem any university where cows and human beings compete for learning.

*Olabisi Deji-Folutile is a member of the Nigeria Guild of Editors. You can email bisideji@yahoo.co.uk

The post When cows compete with students for space in ivory tower appeared first on Frontpageng.