Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has backed the Emir of Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tafida, who warned that anyone caught hiding criminals particularly herdsmen in his kingdom, will be severely punished including police officers.
Tafida, had during the Eid-el Kabir sermon, said his emirate has nothing against herders, but will not tolerate any act of criminality from them. He said there are reports of herdsmen killing, kidnapping and raping residents, but are being shielded from facing prosecution.
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 raping our women? If you are not a Muslim, let us know."
Governor Ishaku also made similar warning during a sensitisation workshop for second-class and third-class traditional rulers in the state, in Jalingo, the State's capital.
Ishaku who whose warning however is targeted at monarchs in the state, warned traditional rulers against accommodating criminals in their communities or face severe punishment if caught.
The governor further urged traditional rulers to evolve ways of detecting suspicions movements and characters within their communities.
“Do not give refuge to any fleeing criminal; doing so will be at your own peril, support government’s efforts to tackle criminality,” he said.
Don't Dare — Miyetti Allah warns Tafida
Meanwhile the leadership of Miyetti Allah, were enraged by the decision of Tafida, demanding that Fulani herdsmen vacate the forests in his emirate or faced being killed.
Reacting to the development, National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, said Emir Tafida has no right to threaten herdsmen in his domain, saying Fulani herders have been grazing there even before the creation of Taraba State.
He said, “That Emir of Muri should be taken to a psychiatric hospital. From the way he is talking, there is no doubt that he requires a psychiatric examination.
“He claims to be a Fulani, but there is no right-thinking Fulani who can issue such a threat to his people. How can he give such an ultimatum?
“He is not a law enforcement agent or a security agent. He is just an ordinary emir, who is not fully recognised by the Fulani.
“If you observe, you hardly see him in any Fulani activity or programme in Nigeria because the Fulani do not recognise him. Maybe he has a problem in his palace and so started issuing threats to those he perceived were not loyal to him.
“Where is he asking them to go? Taraba State is for everyone, so he doesn’t have the power to evict our people from where they are doing their business or trade,” Satuday Sun quoted Bodejo as saying.
Asked what the group would do at the expiration of the ultimatum, Bodejo said, “We don’t recognise him and his authority, and since we don’t recognise him, we can’t obey his directives.
“Before the expiration of the ultimatum, we are going to write the Governor of Taraba State to remove him as an emir. We are going to write all the Fulani in Nigeria and beyond not to recognise him as an emir because he is calling for a genocide against the Fulani people in his area.
“Who is he to call for the killing of our people? He is a non-Fulani. How can you claim to be a Fulani and you are calling for genocide against your people?
“Even my friend and brother, Samuel Ortom, Benue State governor, has not called for the killing of Fulani, but he is trying to find solutions to his own problem. He is a Tiv, but he is not calling for genocide against the Fulani.
“I’m calling on all Fulani in Muri to continue with their activities. Taraba is my state of origin, and I’m calling on the governor to quickly dethrone this emir before he caused bloodbath in the state. He doesn’t deserve to be an emir.
“A person who is pan Nigerian should take over from him. We are also calling on the Inspector General of Police and the DSS to invite him to explain what he meant by his people to kill Fulani. He gave them one month to do what? Is it only Fulani who are committing crime? Go and find out the arrest of criminals by IGP IRT headed by Abba Kyari. About 70 per cent of them are not Fulani.
“I don’t know why the emir will go to this extent, or he has agenda against the Fulani? Has he prepared any state or country to take these Fulani to? Nobody can go anywhere.
“Before he was born, Fulani were rearing cows in Jalingo; before the creation of Taraba State, Fulani were doing their activities there. If he doesn’t know, let him ask for the history. How old is he? He may be in his mid 70s or if he is up to 85 years, then old age sickness has taken over and that may be the reason he is talking like that.”
However unlike, Bodejo, the leadership of Taraba State Fulani herders, tour the path of peace, pledging to flush out criminal members among them within five months.
The leadership of the herders comprised Ardos and Fulani community leaders drawn from 14 out the 16 local government areas of the state.
They told the Emir of Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tafida, yesterday at his palace in Jalingo, the state capital, that the decision was reached following series of meetings they held to review the challenges confronting them.
The herders, led by the state Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association, Alhaji Sahabi Mahmud, pleaded with the Emir to accept their pledge, promising that all the criminal elements among them would be identified and flushed out within five months in order to bring the desired peace to the state.