Ohaneze, Buhari and the Fulani Herdsmen -By Ikechukwu Odigbo

Armed Fulani Herdsmen

The recent statement making the rounds on social media attributed to Ohanaeze Ndigbo has added another twist to the macabre story of the orgy of bloodletting across Nigeria by the Fulani herdsmen. Rising from a meeting of its inner caucus on May 2, the Ohaneze is calling for a boycott of Igbo patronage of Fulani cows.

In the numbers 17 and 18 of its 24-point document, among other things, the statement orders that “all families in Igboland should de-list beef from their menu” and that “there shall be no more Fulani cows for any ceremony like burials, funerals, weddings, thanksgivings, celebrations etc., in Igboland.”

An anonymous writer on Facebook argued that the South-East is a huge source of wealth for Fulani businessmen, with about 40,000 cows consumed daily throughout Igboland and each cow selling for an average cost of N120,000.00. By this calculation, ending the patronage of Fulani cows will likely put them out of business and probably deflate the source of their wealth, and in turn weaken their aggression.

It is not clear whether the statement from Ohaneze is to be seen as an order or a suggestion. Nothing is said about duration or sustainability. Nothing is said about implementation strategies and the implication of non-compliance on the part of any Igbo, which makes me think it lies within the borders of exhortation. It is intended to be ‘a collective mourning’ by the Igbo nation for the massacred people of Nimbo by the herdsmen.

But it is doubtful whether this response is well thought out, or in fact feasible. Although the idea of collective mourning is quite sensible I doubt whether it calls for such a grand and permanent prohibition of Fulani cows. More harm might be done because thousands of Igbo young men, women and families depend on cow business for their livelihood, such as butchers, meat-dealers, transporters, loaders, cleaners, meat sellers etc. Nothing is said about the capacity of local dealers in cow or goat or any meat at all to meet the daily demand of the people.

The odd instruction of Ohaneze must have been incited by Buhari’s culpable silence and lackadaisical attitude towards the dead and the affected. Many days after the killings, the presidency said nothing about the sudden death of innocent Nigerian men, women and children who were killed in their sleep by people who they peacefully hosted in their communities. Scores of Nigerian writers have expressly condemned the president for keeping silent about this and other such crimes against humanity. Some of the writers have said clearly that the presidency protects the herdsmen and therefore is behind the sudden surge in violence among them.

The Fulani herdsmen have also gone on air to say that they too and their cows have been victims of indiscriminate and unending killings in the hands of local inhabitants. They have also released video footages announcing more bloodlettings in the future. Although it is on news that the president has instructed that the Fulani herdsmen be brought to book, Buhari’s initial silence and the conduct of Fulani herdsmen speak volumes of their short-sightedness.

In the first place the Fulani herdsmen can count on the compromise of the security agencies, such as was the case in Enugu where the police and the army refused to act, even though they received a prior notice of the invasion of Nimbo. But the Fulani herdsmen would be foolish to expect that the people whom they massacre would keep quiet. They are armed to the teeth, but that alone does not reduce their vulnerability as strangers in another man’s land.

News of a possible reprisal in Nassarawa, where some herdsmen and cows have been killed, has been circulating. But whether it is true or not, it points in the direction of predictable counter-attacks. How do the Fulani herdsmen, even from a common-sense point of view, think it is tolerable to invade a community and kill scores of its people and on the next day move around with their cows as if nothing happened? By killing other people, the Fulani people put themselves, their cows, their families in the bush, in great danger as well.

And this matter is made worse when the security agencies give the impression that the Fulani herdsmen are both above the law but also under its protection. After the Nimbo massacre, not before it, the security agents have surrounded the community. Hypocritical as it is, such a move can neither calm the agitation of the people nor forestall any retaliation because it is not founded on justice. After all we are not told that any herdsmen have been arrested or that the Commissioner for Police in Enugu has been sacked for failing in his duty. Something more serious and decisive should have been done to regain the confidence of the Nimbo indigenes in particular and Igbe people in general.

This senseless orgy of massacre inaugurated by the Fulani herdsmen is also against their self-interest in the broadest sense. As nomads, they are usually dispersed and moving in different directions, which make them particularly vulnerable to organised attacks. Several communities are presently mobilising against the Fulani herdsmen, in communities where they have been living peacefully and getting away with minor offences. In some cases, they have married wives. Now the war bells are tolling.

It is not necessary to talk in any detail about the ripple-down effects that come with this kind of iniquity, like non-Fulani men and women or non-herdsmen bearing the brunt for the action of the Fulani herdsmen. But the truth is that many Northerners, most of whom are plying their lawful businesses in the South-East, are already being harassed in communities and cities. In turn, this might ignite ethnic reactions all over the country, which might just get out of hand.

But if the Fulani herdsmen are becoming reckless today because Buhari is president, and if Buhari is keeping quiet because he wishes to protect his own people, then both are undermining the chances of the general success of the Buhari presidency. The president hardly needs to stir any more trouble now that his rating is rapidly declining due to economic failures.

Ikechukwu Odigbo is a doctoral researcher at the University of Essex, UK.