The Village Head of Barmo Community in Wamba Local Council of Nasarawa State, Chief Yakubu Sarki, has appealed to the government at all levels to come to the rescue from of his community from the hands of Fulani herdsmen, whom he said no longer move around with sticks but guns.
Sarki who said the well-armed herdsmen have been terrorizing his community by killing, snatching and destroying farmlands, made the disclosure when the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dogo Shammah, visited the bereaved family of 30-year-old Samuel Monday who was killed on Monday, July 26, by herdsmen in the area.
He said: “I am a victim of herdsmen’s attack. Recently, two Fulani men, well-armed, attacked me on my farm.”
The royal father confirmed that one of the herdsmen, who killed Monday and snatched his motorcycle, was arrested by youths of the community and handed over to the police in Wamba.
However, unlike Yakubu Sarki, the Emir of Muri Empire, Taraba State, Abbas Tafida, said he won't be relying on government to address the challenges facing his kingdom, but will instead, mobilize armed youths to besiege the forest and kiII any Fulani man in sight irrespective of his occupation.
Tafida, during the Eid-el Kabir sermon, issued the warning as he lamented the terror unleashed by armed herdsmen who have allegedly been kiIIing, kidnapping, and r a ping residents.
He stated that the people had warmly accepted the Fulani but did not expect such treatment as payback from the herders.
The Emir also warned that anyone conniving with kidnappers or protecting them from being prosecuted will be punished severely, including police officers.
He said, “From now onwards if anyone is kidnapped from this emirate, we will go into the bush and kiII any Fulani man we see and we will not ask for his name or what he does because the Fulanis cannot say they do not know the kidnappers, they had better stop them.
“Our young people are inactive. Police at a time caught a district head conniving with kidnappers and they gave him bail, he had the audacity to go back to his district and the youths did nothing.
“From now on, anyone caught conniving with kidnappers, we will kiII him and his family members. Police should be warned! We have respect for them but when next they arrest someone conniving with kidnappers and they let the person go free, we will also arm the youth to protect the citizens.
”Our Fulani herdsmen in the forests, you came into this state and we accepted you, why then will you be coming to towns and villages to kidnap residents, even up to the extent of r a ping our women? If you are not a Muslim, let us know.
The Emir also issued 30 days uItimatum to the kiIIer herdsmen to vacate the forest or suffer the consequences.
“Because of this unending menace, every Fulani herdsman in this state have been given 30 days uItimatum to vacate the forests. We are tired of having sleepless nights and the hunger alone in the land is enormous and we will not allow this oppression to continue.”