Herdsmen Crisis: Police, Military ‘Powerless’ To Defend Nigerians – Cleric

For allegedly failing to stop Fulani herdsmen killings, the Bishop of Awka Diocese, Dr Alex Ibezim, has described the Nigeria police and military as “powerless”.

Ibezim, in a lecture titled ‘Mission, the heart of God,” wondered what could be hindering the Federal Government from clamping down on the herders who have allegedly unleashed mayhem on several communities across the country.

The Bishop expressed fear that the country may no longer be able to live as one unless the government hurriedly curbs the killings by the suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Speaking at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Amawbia, Ibezim condemned Nigerian politicians who have been going about their campaigns for 2019 election rather than finding a lasting solution to the herders and Boko Haram crisis in the country.

He said, “Nigeria, a major oil producer and Africa’s most populous nation and second-largest economy, is facing challenges. Most political parties are much more concerned about upcoming elections rather than the burning issues of the country.

“Political liberalisation ushered in by the return to civilian rule in 1999 has allowed militants from religious and ethnic groups to pursue their demands through violence.

“Separatist aspirations have also been growing, prompting reminders of the bitter civil war over the breakaway Biafran republic in the late 1960s.”

Ibezim said of Boko Haram insurgency: “The group has done enough havoc to be acknowledged by the global community as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world.”

On herdsmen killings, he said: “They are armed with sophisticated weapons and usually attack their target communities at a time they are most vulnerable such as at midnight or on Sundays when they are in church, killing people indiscriminately and burning houses and looting properties.

“Most worrisome is the brutality and impunity with which the assailants operate without regard for the law and the sanctity of human life. The Nigerian police and even the military seem powerless to defend the victims from being mercilessly slaughtered in their homes.

“It is unfortunate that this level of criminal impunity is happening in a sovereign nation with a constitution which declares that the security and welfare of the citizens shall be a major responsibility of the state.

“Perhaps we need to ask why the police and the military are incapable of protecting the farmers from violent attacks by Fulani herdsmen. Is it true that the Fulani militias are better armed and sometimes outnumber the police?

“Why is it difficult for the Federal Government to contain the terror of the Fulani militia? Who are those arming the Fulani herdsmen to unleash mayhem on innocent and defenceless Nigerians?”

Referring to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Bishop said, “Nigerians are tired of speeches and condolence messages to victims.

“If this country will continue to remain as one, then those who perpetrate crime must be dealt with accordingly without minding whose ox is gored.”