…as herdsmen mobilise for war — Ujege, tribal leader

…72 HRS TO THE BAN OF OPEN GRAZING IN BENUE

BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI

Elder statesman, Chief Edward Ujege, is President General of Mdzough U Tiv. He led the leadership of the umbrella bodies of the three major tribes in Benue State to raise the alarm over alleged impending invasion of the state by herdsmen ahead of the November 1 commencement of the implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition Law in the state. In this interview, Ujege laments what he describes as   the Federal Government’s indifference to the herdsmen menace in the country and its implication for national unity, the open grazing prohibition law, among other issues. Excerpts:

Chief Edward Ujege

What is the reason behind the unease in Benue State and the alarm you have raised over alleged impending attacks in the state by herdsmen?

The leadership of the three major tribes in Benue State, which includes the Mdzough U Tiv, the Idoma National Forum and the Omi Ny’Igede, and invariably represents the entire populace, is worried about the wanton killing of our people and destruction of property by herdsmen.

The situation became so terrible that we had to call on the state government to do something. And due to our outcry, the government, through the House of Assembly, enacted the Open Grazing Prohibition Law to check the conflict between herdsmen and farmers due to the limited land and growing population in the state, considering that our people are basically farmers.

When the law, which provides for the establishment of ranches, was enacted, the Miyetti Allah group vowed that they would resist it with all means available to them. They even threatened to go to court to challenge the law but that did not bother us.

But our major source of worry now is the privileged information we have that they are amassing at the Nigerian/Cameroon borders, both cows and militia, and in Nasarawa State at the borders with Benue, waiting for the right time to move into Benue and attack the people.

We are deeply concerned that the alleged heightened preparations to invade Benue with large mass of cattle and militia is to truncate the impending take-off of the anti-open grazing law scheduled for November 1. We believe the plan is to make the law unenforceable if the authorities have no means to contain the influx of the cattle and herdsmen.

This invariably could lead to conflict between farmers and herdsmen and thus give them the excuse to execute their plan to massacre us and take over our land. Unfortunately, our calls for action by the Federal Government have fallen on deaf ears as nothing has been done to call them to order.

In 2014 alone over half a million people were displaced in our state and the future of almost a million youths at risk following the various attacks carried out by herdsmen while properties worth over N95 billion were destroyed. Yet not a single person has been arrested or prosecuted for the dastardly acts.

Conspiracy of silence

We have had enough of the conspiracy of silence against our people and state. We believe that the intelligence about the massing of cattle and militia to invade Benue may be well known to the Federal Government and security agencies but, as usual, they may do nothing until Benue is over run. But this should not be allowed to happen this time around.

If the Federal Government can effectively tackle Boko Haram, Niger Delta militancy, IPOB and other acts of insurgency across the country, one wonders why they cannot tackle the herdsmen excesses.

We feel threatened because we know what they (herdsmen) can do, we have experienced it before. They even claimed to have settled in Benue to take over our land which means they now want to come and occupy the land and we have nowhere to go. We have gone to the governor to tell him to reach out to people of goodwill to come to the rescue of the people of Benue. He had to go to the President and to talk to the National Assembly. We are also going out to talk to other tribal associations, traditional rulers in the country and anybody who cares to listen, including the international community, that we are in trouble and that they should come to our aid. If we keep quiet again, our people will be massacred and nothing will be done as was the case in the past.

Just few days ago, we heard about the killings in Plateau State. Why is the Federal Government not doing something about it? Are they happy seeing people killed? Are they happy seeing the sources of livelihood and properties destroyed? These are the questions begging for answers.

We are appealing to those in authority to check their consciences, have they done enough to prevent this mayhem being visited on our people?

What do you think could be the reason for the latest threat?

It is actually because of the new law. But the point is that if they adhere to the law, it will be a win-win situation for herdsmen and farmers. It will check the killings and damages everyone suffers. The fact of the matter is that the said law in is in compliance with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution. It has no provision that is anti-people. It ensures peaceful coexistence and the protection of lives and property.

What is the position of the people on the new law?

We are solidly behind Governor Samuel Ortom, our support for him is 110 per cent. Come rain come shine, we are with him. And come November 1, which is the date for the commencement of the implementation of the law, whatever legal means or action that is taken, we are with him. We will make sure that the law is applied to everyone.

The law is not only about cows; it is about every animal or livestock and owners irrespective of who you are or where you are coming from.

The law applies to everyone in Benue and only one group is kicking against it. So when the law comes into effect, even our people who breed animals are going to be affected.

The law also makes provision for the protection of herdsmen because it provides that anyone caught in livestock rustling would be prosecuted. So it is out to protect herdsmen and farmers alike.

The law will finally rest the cases of bloodbath in our rural communities because we have been a very peaceful people. Our people go to their farms to produce for the country. So we are quite sure that when the law takes effect, quite a lot will be achieved not only in the area of animal husbandry but also in the chain reactions that improve the economy.

What do these attacks portend for the unity of the country?

There is nothing that violates the laws of the land that does not threaten its unity especially when it involves lives and property. Anywhere in the world where there is genocide and some people feel they are stronger than the others and they feel they will exterminate them, the world rises up against the evil deed which also affects the image of the country the world over.

The implication is that the people would have no faith in the unity of the country anymore. So this is what we are saying, the Federal Government has to rise up to the occasion and be counted that they have done enough to ensure that everybody who is a citizen of the country is free to go about his daily activities in an atmosphere of freedom and safety. That is what we are looking forward to at the moment.

Do you really think that the prohibition of open grazing could be a panacea to the crisis between herdsmen and local farmers?

I don’t even believe that as a country we can continue to go on with cows roaming the streets of our country. If it were possible, developed countries like Britain, America and others would have allowed animals to roam the streets in London, New York and others. In these countries, they have huge land mass but they do not allow animals on the roads because there are immense advantages to have these animals confined in ranches.

With ranching, you check transmission of diseases, the animals get fatter and the returns on the animals are higher, they get more milk, they sell more. They make good economic gains through better animal husbandry.

The fact is that the population is getter more; when I was born 70 years ago, there was land and herdsmen could move freely but now, before you could move from one piece of land to the other, you go across houses and cultivated farmlands and food barns. So everything has changed and we are supposed to move with the trend of time. There is limited land, our population has grown large and the animals are getting more and more, so something has to be