The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) yesterday urged the Federal Government to declare killer- herdsmen as terrorists and to set in motion necessary security measures to end killings.
In a communique after its meeting yesterday in Abuja, the MBF said: โThe most frightening part of it is that government, security and law enforcement agencies merely look the other way rather than chase, track and arrest the herdsmen militia to face prosecution.
โAs such, in the middle belt region, lives of human beings are now cheaper than cows. Our communities have become endangered under the full watch of the Federal Government.
โIn fact in Nigeria, herdsmen are worse than Boko Haram. They have killed more people than Boko Haram did in the last two years. Despite the atrocities of this group, however, this government has refused to declare them a terrorist group.โ
The communique was read by its chairman Bala Takaya, who added: โDo we as a people deserve to go through all this? What is our sin? Who will save us from this menace?
The MBF also lamented that the troubled states were witnessing: โwillful pogrom by the way of ethnic cleansing by the โforeignโ Fulani herdsmen just to enable them wipe off all nationalities from their ancestral land. For if not ethnic cleansing, what do we make of unprovoked night marauders attacking our sleeping villagers at midnight by setting their houses ablaze. Shooting down occupants, whether male, women and children fleeing for dear life. Burning to ashes all food barns or arrogantly feed such harvested grains, yam tubers, etc to their animals?
