Southern Leaders Wants FG To Declare Herdsmen A Terrorists Group

Leaders from Southwest and Southeast Nigeria have called on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to declare the killer Fulani herdsmen as terrorists. Speaking at a gathering in Enugu state on Thursday, the Southern leaders also insisted that the restructuring of Nigeria remained the solution to the country’s underdevelopment.

They spoke in the wake of recent killings by suspected herdsmen in some communities in Benue state, as well as the President’s firm believe that restructuring will not solve Nigeria’s problem. The gathering, which was hosted by the leaders of Afenifere and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, was tagged, Handshake Across the Niger: A Celebration of Igbo/Yoruba Friendship Beyond Brotherhood,’ put together by a pan-Igbo group, Nzuko Umunna.

Chairman of Afenifere Chief Ayo Adebanjo, while reiterating the call for restructuring, wondered why the Federal Government had not tagged the marauding herdsmen as terrorists, as was done to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).“It is only restructuring that can guarantee your rights in Nigeria. Cheating, injustice and even corruption can only be wiped out through restructuring,”Adebanjo said.

"President Buhari will not do that; instead he has ensured that all military and para-military institutions are under his control, and he has refused to name herdsmen as terrorists yet he pounced on IPOB that seeks for justice.“Buhari is the problem of Nigeria by opposing restructuring. We will achieve it if we are united. Igbo, Yoruba mutual suspicion is a thing of the past. We are not looking at the past. We are looking at the future.

"Buhari will not agree to restructuring because his people are the beneficiaries of a lopsided Nigeria. We are in a serious situation,”Similarly, the leader of the South East delegation and President General of Ohanaeze, John Nwodo, said it was “unfortunate” that the Federal Government had not proscribed the herdsmen and declared them as terrorists. Other leaders at the event included former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; former Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae; former governor of Imo State Ikedi Ohakim; and former governor of Plateau state Jonah Jang.