Watch your tongue on asking Buhari to declare herdsmen terrorists, Canadan-based group warns Dogara

In the message, the group said Speaker Dogora and his House of Representatives should be “cautious in their call on President Buhari to declare the Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist organization, because recent development indicated that there are more to those behind the reigns of terror in Northern part of Nigeria than what they want us to see as Fulani herdsmen”.

Speaker of the Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has been warned against his incessant comment asking President Muhammadu Buhari to declare Fulani in Nigeria, whose business core is herding of cows, terrorists.

Giving this warning in a message issued in Ontario, Canada, and sent exclusively to The DEFENDER on Friday, is Battles Against Corruption in Nigeria, a pressure group of Nigerians living in Canada and Nigeria.

The group has since declared to pitch its tent with President Buhari saying it would rather be seen supporting a transparent, sincere and non-corrupt leader than joining forces with people who because of reason of grid and stomach are backing the #CorruptionFightBack elements and Olusegun Obasanjo’s Third Force against the President.

In the message, the group said Speaker Dogora and his House of Representatives should be “cautious in their call on President Buhari to declare the Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist organization, because recent development indicated that there are more to those behind the reigns of terror in Northern part of Nigeria than what they want us to see as Fulani herdsmen”.

He said, “The kind of sophisticated ammunition being used by those inflicting wounds and killings on innocent citizens is an indication that the government and Nigerians should look beyond the Fulani herdsmen if they really want to unravel those behind the massacre of the citizens and their sponsors in Nigeria.

“The government should set up powerful independent committee that will comprise secret intelligence, armed forces, police, trusted religious bodies and human rights groups to investigate and get to the root of the ongoing killings in Nigeria rather than listening to those who mischievously jump to the conclusion that it was the Fulani herdsmen that were responsible for all the killings.

“The recent development with the allegations and revelations made against Dino Melaye and Bukola Saraki by the arrested criminals terrorising Kogi and Kwara states is an eye-opener.  Those arrested and now being tried in Kogi said Dino Melaye is their boss in the state, while those arrested over Offa robbery said they are thugs of Senator Bukola Saraki.  All of these revelations should change the events in our conclusion that it is Fulani herdsmen that are the actors in an attempt to tear the country apart.

“There is drastically reduction in the killing of innocent citizens in the North Central part of Nigeria, since those criminals were arrested by the police. This, if some Nigerians who have been vocal in their media hype against Fulani herdsmen are since to themselves, should have changed their perceptions.  But the fact that they, including Dogara and his colleagues in the House, continue to put herdsmen on the lips means they themselves are the real enemies of democracy against the Buhari and Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris that they want us to believe are.

“The revelation of those arrested criminals may be clear indication that there is more to the sporadic killing of innocent citizens in the country than to accuse only the Fulani herdsmen as the perpetrators of the massacre and destruction of properties in the North Central part of the country,” it said.

President of the group, Mr. Waheed Seriki, who signed the message, said, “The Battles Against Corruption in Nigeria group for now, rejects the call by the Speaker of the House of Representative, Right Honourable Yakubu Dogara, that Fulani herdsmen should be declared as a terrorist organization, until proper investigations are made by the independent committee we have asked the government to set up.”

Seriki said the government must get to the root of the matter so as to determine whether it was Fulani herdsmen that were those really behind the ongoing killings or they were the politicians desperate about 2019 politics and therefore working hard and mischievously, too, to blackmail President Muhammadu Buhari with their acts of destabilization in the country.

“If the government and Nigerians fail to get to the roots of the ongoing killings, destruction of properties in Nigeria and tackle the problem by arresting and prosecuting those behind the criminal adventures, we will just be chasing the shadow by accusing and counter accusing tribes or religious group,” he said.