When body language is not enough

This is not an overkill as some might be thinking. We cannot have enough of commentaries on the killings by herdsmen in our country, whether by Fulani or others. Some commentators straddled the middle road of political correctness by insisting that we do not know the identities of the killers, and while this is good the fact remains that people have died simply because some citizens think they can get away with crime and nothing will happen to them.

It is not surprising that the Nigeria police is full of elements like Ebere Amaraizu, the public relations officer of the Enugu State command, who issued a statement that the killings on April 25 in Nimbo, Uzo-Uwani Local Government area of the state were perpetrated by “hoodlums”. Even while we know there are cretins like Mr. Amaraizu paid by public money and lie through their teeth, it is equally painful that otherwise respectable citizens will build a defence on such incredulous statements. Little wonder that the police reversed itself when confronted with more evidence and were forced to admit that herdsmen were responsible for the murders.

While our policemen did not cover themselves in glory on the flip flop over the attack, it, however, says a lot about how we are governed that Amaraizu has not been, till now, disciplined or asked to explain his role in brazenly lying to citizens. We just trudge on and pretend that nothing is amiss and wait till another attack on hapless and innocent citizens whose only crime is eking out a living in their homesteads. But it is not only the police who did not cover themselves in glory from the Nimbo killings. What do we say of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who merely asked citizens to fast and pray after failing to protect them? Asking for “explanation” from security agencies after his people have been murdered is not enough even while the agencies are not under his authority. It was insensitive of him to be photographed in billowing agbada while briefing the president on what happened under his watch and thereafter followed it with an appearance at the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu’s book presentation the same day. Two days after with families trying to pick up their lives after losing loved ones, Mr. Uguwanyi was seen at an event with a table full of delicacies even after declaring a fast back home. And while the cleavages in our politics have never been more pronounced, what would it cost the topmost Enugu public officer to postpone his book presentation for some days in memory of the dead? Who advises our politicians for God’s sake?

Could we then blame others for not treating the attack with greater urgency? President Muhammadu Buhari’s lethargy in policy formulation is now legendary that one could be forgiven for not being shocked again by his eloquent silence over the killings. After all, the ones perpetrated in Agatu are still supposedly under investigation even when he has not deemed it fit to visit both locations. That’s why conspiracy theorists are having a field day about his alleged complicity in shielding his Fulani kinsmen from prosecution. While is seems farfetched that Buhari will be supporting Fulani against other citizens he swore to protect, what does it cost our president to be more humane whenever lives are lost? The war on corruption is good and desirable, but the growing list of killings under Buhari is worrisome.

SBM Intelligence in a report titled Death and the Herdsmen – A report on spreading pastoralist violence in Nigeria released on April 28 says that the total number of reported clashes involving herdsmen and residents between 1997 and 2015 were 461 while in 2015, “there were more casualties from herdsmen violence than from Boko Haram.” It adds, “In 2016, there have been 21 attacks that SBM Intelligence has been able to independently verify, with the number of victims stand between 526 and 820.” Sadly, only six arrests have been made in respect of the attacks, which occurred this year in Benue, Ondo, Nasarawa, Rivers, Taraba, and Enugu. While a group of 92 herdsmen were arrested in Abuja, 56 reportedly escaped leaving 36 and confirming that our government is still not giving it the desired attention. What’s more, when state organs fail repeatedly to protect citizens, they will resort to self help and an eye for an eye will surely leave all of us blind. Inflaming words on both sides of the divide are not helping matters too as gleaned from a story by Saturday Punch of April 30 where some Fulani herdsmen intoned that “no one can stop us from grazing in the south.”

President Buhari, body language is not enough on this matter, something decisive must be done please. No, I’m not talking of your usual “orders and directives” to fish our perpetrators.