Nasarawa Airstrikes: MBF Slams Gov Sule, Sanusi Over Killing Of 37 Herdsmen

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has dressed down the gov­ernor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Audu Sule, and the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, over their comments on the alleged killing of no fewer than 37 herdsmen in Rukubi com­munity of Doma Local Gov­ernment Area of Nasarawa State on Wednesday, Janu­ary 26, 2023.

Challenging the duo to substantiate their posi­tions with evidence, MBF noted that their comments are adding fuel to raging inferno.

The MBF, in a statement by its National President, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, called on the Federal Government to set up an independent probe panel on the Nasar­awa killings with photos and pictures of the slain herders and also their cat­tle as bombs don’t discrim­inate so as to ascertain the claims by the Nasarawa State governor and others alike.

MBF said: “The atten­tion of the Middle Belt Fo­rum (MBF) has been drawn to the alleged killing of no fewer than 37 herdsmen in Rukubi community of Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Wednesday, January 26, 2023.

“Since the incident, there have been conflict­ing reports on what actu­ally transpired. Governor Abdullahi Audu Sule of Nasarawa declared on Thursday, January 26, that the herdsmen were killed through what looked like a drone attack. The Miyet­ti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) said since the military was the only au­thority to deploy drone at­tack, the Federal Govern­ment should wade into the matter to bring the culprits to book.

“We are aware that the Nigerian Air Force under­took an operation against terrorist targets in areas bordering Benue, Nasara­wa and Taraba in the same period. Also, there was no report of cattle casual­ties mentioned in any of the reports in spite of the claim that the victims are Fulani who just redeemed their cattle from the Benue State government.

“Amidst the confusion that has trailed these kill­ings, the deposed emir of Kano, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, recently added fuel to the raging inferno when he accused the Benue State governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, as the architect of the killings.

“In what was seen as reprisal attacks, militant herdsmen mounted attacks on Benue communities bor­dering Nasarawa, shortly after Governor Sule an­nounced the killings with­out any shred of evidence to prove his claim.”

The group further said: “On Thursday, last week, Governor Ortom informed Nigerians that there were premeditated plots by some highly-placed persons to assassinate him over the recent killings of herds­men in Nasarawa State. He cautioned against inflam­matory statements over security matters, stressing that Benue State is not in­volved in the alleged kill­ings.

“As the umbrella body of ethnic nationalities in the Middle Belt, the Forum is at a loss why the Nasarawa governor would just allege such a grievous crime with­out any proof to buttress his claim. While the MBF is opposed to any form of extra-judicial killing, we are shocked at the state­ment by the Kano deposed emir attempting to rope Dr. Ortom on an issue that he (Sanusi) is not competent to speak on.

“Since the introduction of the anti-grazing law in Benue, there has been no love lost between Gover­nor Ortom and supporters of murderous herdsmen who have always seen the promulgation of the law as targeted against them. In the wake of the enactment of the law, MACBAN and other Fulani groups vowed to ensure the anti-grazing law remains ineffective.”

Speaking further, MBF said: “More worrisome, there have been sparks of violence among border communities between the two states that often cul­minated into destruction of lives and property. All these orchestrated violence are aimed at weakening the resolve and commitment of the Benue State govern­ment to implement the an­ti-grazing law described by the herders as obnoxious.

“We find the inconsis­tent reports on the recent alleged killings of Nasar­awa herdsmen as yet an­other ploy to rope Gover­nor Ortom into a matter he is completely innocent of. For those who should know, deploying drone at­tacks is completely the re­sponsibility of the Federal Government. There has been no shred of evidence to suggest that the Benue State governor is involved in the alleged attack.

“We completely disagree with the deposed Kano emir who is reputed to possess a penchant for in­flammatory statements and even actions in the past, especially the murderous incident during the Gen. Sani Abacha regime.

“The MBF calls on him to exercise caution and desist from doing anything that is capable of undermining peaceful co-existence of Nigerians. He should allow the security agencies to do their jobs and stop fueling crisis where there is none. It becomes contemptible when those who are ex­pected to moderate their views before members of the public and promote the peaceful co-existence of communities are the same people inflaming passion in a bid to enthrone chaos and anarchy in the country.

“The Middle Belt Fo­rum calls on the Federal Government to set up an independent probe of the Nasarawa killings with photos and pictures of the slain herders and also their cattle as bombs don’t dis­criminate so as to ascertain the claims by the Nasarawa State governor and others alike.

“We also call on Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari to probe the killings of unarmed and defenceless citizens in various states of the Middle Belt region in the interest of justice and fair play.

“Governor Ortom’s tra­ducers must desist hence­forth from accusing him falsely on a matter he is not involved as he remains the leader of Benue State who is not willing to let down his resolve in standing up for the democratic rights of his people in particular, and Nigerians in general.

“For equity and justice to hold sway, Nigerian lead­ers must learn to treat all citizens across political, ethnic and religious di­vides. We must eschew en­throning the supremacy of one ethnic nationality over others if we ever hope to build a just nation for all.”