By Emeka Alex Duru
The recent resolution by the House of Representatives on the Federal Government to check the influx of herdsmen from other African countries to Nigeria, demonstrates the extent of frustrations Nigerians have encountered in the hands of these unscrupulous pastoralists. Obviously flustered at the nefarious activities of the herders, the lawmakers are waking up to action after years of glossing over the precarious situation.
The House has thus, mandated its Committees on Police Affairs, Army and Interior to “interface with the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, respectively, on the best ways of policing and securing the Nigeria borders.”
Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje had earlier raised similar alert, calling on the Government to seek the review of the West African Protocols that allow free movement of citizens of member states, in order to check migration of herdsmen into the country. The governor observed that such movements always cause conflicts and destruction of human lives, stressing the need for the government to use the international restrictions created by the COVID-19 to stop the inflow of armed herdsmen to Nigeria.
Other concerned citizens and groups have also called for checks on the influx of the foreign herders. The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), comprising elders and statesmen from the Southern and North Central geo-political zones of the country had made similar call on President Muhammadu Buhari, warning that the peace of Nigeria is currently under threat because of the activities of the herdsmen. Incidentally, while the demands had been made on the authorities to check the influx and menace of the herders, not much had been done by the authorities. This is even when President Muhammadu Buhari, had on occasions blamed these invaders on the recurrent security challenges in the North.
Blood on grazing routes
Even in the best of times, there had been occasional frictions between farmers and local herdsmen over grazing lands. The foreign herders are adding to the menace with activities that often lead to loss of life and destruction of property. Some of them not only come in with cattle but also with guns. They are often fingered in the recurrent clashes with farmers in the North. A report by the Amnesty International in December 2018, had put the number of those killed in the clashes since 2016, at 3,600. The North Central States of Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa and other states have borne the brunt of the clashes, mostly. Other States have also been affected in the recurrent conflicts that have led to thousands of deaths and displacements. A particular attack on five Benue Councils on January 1, 2018, left more than 70 people dead in one fell swoop. Another assault on the State on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, by suspected pastoralists on a Catholic Church, left two Priests along with 15 of their parishioners in an early morning worship session, murdered. Two months later, clashes in Plateau State between June 24 and 26, 2018, had resulted to estimates of 135 to 200 deaths with the Police claiming only 86 killed.
Elsewhere, suspected herdsmen had struck in Ukpabi-Nimbo community of Enugu State on Monday, April 25, 2016, leaving in their trail 50 persons dead and properties destroyed.
Even the recent May 15 and 16 clashes in Lamurde Local Government Area, Adamawa State that left 73 killed, 81,110 displaced, houses and businesses destroyed, were attributed to activities of the foreign herdsmen. Similar ugly incidents had taken place in other parts of the country at various times. Many lives had been lost and property destroyed on such occasions, especially as responses to the crisis at both the federal and state levels had been very poor and ineffective.
ECOWAS Protocol and Porous borders
The herders and other criminally minded foreigners take advantage of the ECOWAS protocol on free movement and Nigeria’s porous borders to gain entry into the country and unleash mayhem on unsuspecting citizens. The protocol allows citizens of ECOWAS member states entrance into another and residence within 90 days in the first instance. Cashing in on this and in league with corrupt security agents at the border, they easily flow into the country. Some also find their way through unmanned entry points.
2018 Data from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) showed that Nigeria’s land borders were vulnerable and the personnel to man them, grossly inadequate. It was learnt that there were about 1,500 identified land border crossings into Nigeria, with only 114, covering 4,000 square kilometres, approved control posts manned by merely 23,000 Immigration Officials and other security agencies. TheNiche also gathered that Nigeria has international land borders of about 4,470 km (2,513 miles) with Chad Republic, Cameroon, Benin and Niger and a coastline of 774km which are largely unmanned. These are the loopholes the foreign herders exploit to invade the country.
The way to go
Some suggest the Government entering into pacts with other countries to stem the unrestricted influx. Dr. Emma Ezeocha, an expert in international relations, sees the unrestricted entry of the herders and other unprincipled characters into the country as constituting serious threats to Nigeria’s sovereignty and corporate existence. He called on the federal government to rise up to the menace before it poses serious danger to the country. “The primary responsibility of the government is security of life and property of its citizens. These undocumented foreigners are adding to criminal elements in the country to cause problem for innocent citizens. Government should not abdicate its responsibilities to the citizens on the altars of big brother politics in West Africa and the Continent. If it takes additional application of measures to prevent this unguarded entry, the government should not relent in doing so before the sovereignty and corporate existence of the country is compromised”, he remarked. He recalled how unrestricted entry by disgruntled elements from Liberia to Sierra Leone, fuelled the civil war in the country in the 1990s.
The upsurge in insecurity and criminality in different parts of the North, lends credence to his fears. Earlier in the month, about 60 Sokoto residents were killed in raids by bandits. In April, 47 people were killed in attacks on communities in three local government areas in Katsina State. Other states and communities in the region have also had different tales of insecurity. Perhaps, as Ezeocha observed, the government may need to employ additional measures to check the embarrassing trend.
