If allowed, proposed cattle colonies can instigate civil war, human rights group warns

A Pro-Democracy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has warned that the proposed cattle colonies for herdsmen, if allowed could prompt civil war in the country.

HURIWA also called on the Federal government to order the arrest and prosecution of the national leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle owners Association for their alleged threats of attacks on Benue after the state House of Assembly passed the anti-open grazing law.

According to the group, aside the arrest, the Federal Government should also probe the roles leaders of Miyetti Allah may have played in the deadly attacks on Benue State leading to the killings of over 70 innocent civilians.

HURIWA further described as gross insensitivity and irresponsibility, the campaign for Buhari’s second term.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by HURIWA national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the national media affairs director, Miss Zainab Yusuf.

“The plan to introduce the so- called cow colonies across Nigeria is unconstitutional and totally repugnant to good conscience. Why should the Federal government deploy public resources to assist the private businesses of only a section of Nigeria? This is discriminatory and must be challenged in the Courts of law.

“The decision to set up cattle colonies is tantamount to granting rewards to the killer gangsters of Fulani herdsmen and this is indirectly conveying the impression that some highly placed Nigerians within the Presidency are behind the killings by armed Fulani herdsmen as a way of making it look like the Nigerian State is being done a favour if the armed Fulani herdsmen accepts to stop their bloody campaign as a consequence of their acceptance of the Cattle colonies across Nigeria.

“Let the Nigerian people opposed to this unconstitutional act about to be imposed on Nigeria speak out loud and clear and file cases in the different Courts of competent jurisdictions to challenge the legality or otherwise of this wholly discriminatory policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration which is aimed at deployment of billions of public fund raised from taxes and exports of crude oil taken from the neglected and environmentally degraded Niger Delta Communities to service the private businesses of Fulani herdsmen. Certainly, the human rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) will steategise with other civil society organisations to come up with robust response to this evil policy of setting up cattle colonies with public fund.

“We fear that these cattle colonies will instigate longstanding civil war no matter how heavy handed or high handed Buhari intends to carry on with setting armed guards to safeguard the private businesses of his fellow Fulani herdsmen. This is the most primitive crime of intimidation that is about to be unleashed on the public space in Nigeria and must be absolutely condemned,” the group said.

On Buhari’s second term campaign the group said, “On the 7 APC governors who kick started campaign for Buhari’s elusive second term, it is the saddest day in the lives of all decent people in this Country and the billions of people watching and observing the happenings in Nigeria for one simple reason that these so called governors displayed the lowest attribute of predators who are all after their personal aggrandizement and agenda.

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“Why dance on the graves of those unjustly wasted and massacred by the rampaging armed Fulani herdsmen? Is it a sign that the killings were systematically planned and executed thereby making the 7 governors to deem it the most appropriate time to announce their slavish support for Buhari’s second term even when the President doesn’t have the evidential justification to canvass for votes of Nigerians when he has failed woefully in the last three years to deliver good governance?

“The campaign for Buhari’s second term is an aberration and amounts to the desecration of the memories of those Nigerians in Benue, Southern Kaduna; Nimbo in Enugu State and Plateau states who have been killed by armed Fulani herdsmen who till now are roaming the streets and addressing Press conferences threatening Nigerians and behaving as if they are above the law only because Buhari has handed over the entire command and control of the Armed forces of the entire Country to one Ethnic group- Fulani.

“This is reprehensible and despicable to put it mildly and it is sad that the Independent National Electoral commission which announced that it is not yet time for campaign has not cautioned all those who have clearly breached the electoral laws by jumping the gun to drum up support for the incumbent President to vie for the second term in the next year’s election.

“The Chairman of INEC is known to be an acolyte of President Muhammadu Buhari who nominated and appointed him together with the biological niece of the President working in INEC as a National Commissioner. It would seem that INEC is scared of warning the APC campaigners to comply with extant statutes and legal provisions on political campaigns. This is unfortunate and it is then right to ask Nigerians to wake up and monitor the activities of the electoral panel if we ever hope to witness a free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections next year”.

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