President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has been urged to prohibit the entry of herdsmen from other African countries into Nigeria.
The call was made by the House of Representatives at the plenary yesterday, following the adoption of a motion, titled, ‘Need to stop the Entry of Herdsmen from other African Countries into Nigeria,’ sponsored by Hon. Ndudi Elumelu.
Presenting the motion, Elumelu said that in recent years, herdsmen have been on rampage, destroying farmlands, burning villages and kiIIing of innocent Nigerians indiscriminately in many states across the federation.
He noted that the Nigerian security agents have consistently stated that those herdsmen are not Nigerians but migrants from other African countries;
The lawmaker expressed concerns that those herdsmen who are militant in nature have consistently instilled fear in the lives of local farmers and villagers living in the affected areas by the use of intimidation, brute force and in most cases leaving a large number of persons dead.
Elumelu expressed worries that the clashes are becoming potentially as dangerous as the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, saying that response to the crisis at both the federal and state levels have been very poor and ineffective.
He said it has become necessary to lend a voice to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State that a stop be put to the movement of herdsmen from other African countries to Nigeria, adding that if left unchecked, it will further threaten the security and stability of the nation.