Barrister Solomon Musa is the national President of Southern Kaduna People (SOKAPO). In this EXCLUSIVE interview with African Drum, he bared his mind on the lukewarm attitude of both the Federal and Kaduna state governments over the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the area which if left unchecked, have the tendency of wiping out the entire region.
- EXCERPT.
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| Barr. Solomon Musa, President SOKAPO |
There is nothing that cannot come to an end. What is required is the will and zeal to bring these killings to an end. The government knows exactly what to do because we have submitted so many suggestions and recommendations to the State Government for them to look into so as to bring the killings to an end and I'm sure if Government shows enough capacity and will in stopping the carnage, it will definitely stop it. To answer the question more directly, yes the killings might have been going unabated but definitely, there will be an end to this menace. Even if the government does not play decisive role in the security of the citizenry, I believe that the killings will eventually stop one way or the other. This is because if the people are able to organize themselves and protect themselves from the attackers there will be victory. There was a civilian JTF in the North East where the people were able to organize themselves, became more vigilant and protected themselves; so there is a lot the people can do within the ambit and provisions of the law to protect themselves contrary to what many have been saying that we are encouraging people to take the laws into their hands, far from it.
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| BURNT VEHICLE |
Is it true that Fulani herdsmen are responsible for the incessant killings in Southern Kaduna? Well, one thing we want to say is that; the people of Southern Kaduna have come under concentrated attacks. We think this is pure terrorism from terrorists. We cannot conclude or say this is the identity of the attackers. One thing we know for sure is that the Governor of the State has told us and the whole world that the attackers are Fulani herdsmen from 14 African countries. Secondly, some bodies like the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association have come out to say that it is the Fulanis that have been attacking us. That they have been on reprisal attacks. So, both the Governor and the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association have come out to tell us that it is the Fulanis that have been attacking us; so we have no choice but to believe that Fulani herdsmen are being used or have turned themselves into terrorists to attack our people. But whether the nationalities of the attackers are Nigerians or non-Nigerians, we cannot say. One thing we know is that two groups of people have come out to tell us who our attackers are.
What in your view is the cause of the latest attack? Well, the cause of the latest attacks cannot be isolated from the initial attacks, at least from last year, the attacks started around May, all through to the end of 2016 in Gwoska community. The cause of the attacks, as far as we are concerned are manifold: first is the issue of land grabbing. You would recall that last year, the Governor went on air to say that the population of Christians in Kaduna State is 30 percent with Muslims making 70 percent. It was as if some kind of injection was given to some people by that statement who immediately after it, decided that our population must be reduced to 30 percent.
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| DESTROYED PROPERTIES |
This is because, shortly after that interview on Channels Television on the programme ‘Sunrise daily’ where the governor made that statement in addition to saying that there has not been any killing for six months; (that is; from 2015 to the time he had that engagement with the media), the killings started again. It was as if, since I said it was 30 percent, if this assertion is not true, you must be reduced to 30 percent. This is because immediately after that statement, community after another, one by one began to fall under the fire works of the attackers. Now, what is the reason? To grab our land, to reduce our population and to supplant us because aside these, there is no any other reason. Most of the attacks are unprovoked and happen at night when people (including women and children) are asleep; it was later on that they began to attack boldly even in the day time with security personal on the roads.
The security personnel are usually on the highways but never at the flash points where attacks occur in the villages and remote areas. It appears people just want to supplant us because of our very good vegetation and arable land. Now, I don't want to isolate what is happening in Southern Kaduna with what is happening in other states of the Middle – Belt like Benue, Plateau and Taraba where Christian minority communities are constantly under attacks and they have argued and described the attacks as reprisal. The question one is tempted to ask is; are they saying that all these communities previously engaged in the killing of Fulani herdsmen? As it appears, there is an agenda to decimate our numbers, there is an agenda for ethnic and religious cleansing to wipe us out of the surface of the earth and claim our lands. The killings are just a continuation of bigger agenda.
How has been the relationship between your people and the Fulani herdsmen over the years? Honestly speaking, the relationship has been cordial. I grew up buying milk from the Fulanis and when there are occasions, be it Christmas or Sallah, we exchange visits, food and gifts and that was how we grew up without any problem. Now, let me say that inherently, the Southern Kaduna man is very loving, accommodating who couldn't even stand killing a cow because of the sight of blood. The Southern Kaduna man is very hospitable to the extent of giving visitors and strangers land to farm and breed. It is very ironic that our hospitality and spirit of accommodation for over 50 years will turn out to be our greatest undoing. As I said earlier, we don't know who the attackers are but going by what the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai and Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association have said, we have no option but to believe that the attackers are Fulani herdsmen.
How have been the efforts of both Federal and Kaduna state government aimed at bringing an end to the killings?
Honestly speaking, both the Federal and State Governments have done virtually nothing concerning the killings and I'll tell you why I'm saying this. When these killings began, we made a lot of suggestions to government; we asked government to send security personnel into the bushes and the flash points where the attacks have been taking place. The locales where able to point out the routes the attackers are follow through. What we were requesting was not unreasonable but to complement the efforts of the locales based on precedence because when the current government in the state decided to confront cattle rustling in Birnin Gwari, Kamoku forest, etc and Governor Nasiru El-Rufai, alongside four other governors in the North West decided to flag an important operation at the Kamoku forest, they deployed security personnel wielding fire power both on land and in the air.
The cattle rustlers where routed in Birnin Gwari and the Kamoku forest. Again, when cases of cattle rustling were reported in Zamfara state, it took the might of the Federal Government to salvage the situation. I'm sure you might have seen it when the President himself wore military uniform and went to Zamfara to flag off an important mission and the cattle rustlers were routed. We know the President to be a retired military general and we were impressed when he led such a mission to combat cattle rustling and thought that much more would be done now that human lives are involved. But to our chagrin and outmost dismay, for more than five months when this started, we kept calling, begging and pleading but all fell on deaf ears because there was no decisive operation that was ever carried out to stop the on-going carnage in southern Kaduna.
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| Barr. Solomon Musa, President SOKAPO. |
It's as though they are saying, you have no right to any form of defence but the terrorists have the right to come and kill, rape, maim and destroy your properties.
We were not surprise therefore, when the State Government came out with a strange legal jurisprudence that we have no right to protect ourselves, we have no right to defend ourselves against the attackers. This is because if we take any step to defend ourselves, if we call on the people to organize themselves, defend themselves, be vigilant and ensure that they are not attacked anymore, the government terms it 'hate speech'. This is the first time we are hearing such jurisprudence. There are also cases where security, or at least people wearing security uniform, like in the case of Misisi, Basakori and Jama'a Local Government where it was alleged that security personnel came in a Hilux vehicle and demanded for a meeting with the village head of Misisi.
The village head in turn invited six other people and they went into a room for a meeting but all the seven men, including the village head were murdered in cold blood in the room by these same security men. There are security personnel on the highway and these attackers came through with military uniform and carried out this dastardly act without anybody stopping them or knowing who they are. How comes that genuine soldiers cannot even identify the fake ones?
Again, there is another component that has been reported again and again that a strange helicopter kept landing at certain points, presumed to be bringing supplies government and the security have not bothered to do anything about that too. You know that Nigeria has attained total radio coverage (TRACCON) and the control of the Nigerian Air space is on the Nigerian Air Management Authority as well as the Air Force. Every aircraft that flies in our airspace is supposed to be picked by the radar. Now the question is; which aircraft was that? Was it on surveillance mission? If it was, then how comes it didn't pick anything and did not discover even a single hideout of the terrorists? People are afraid and people are asking questions.
Back to your question on what have been the efforts of the Federal and State government as regards the attacks in Southern Kaduna, honestly it's difficult to say.
Prior to past two weeks, the State Government would have told anyone that cares to ask that they have done so much yet we cannot point out even a single proactive measure that has been put in place. A security meeting was held in Kafanchang with the Governor and other top government functionaries in attendance but a day or two after that meeting, there were attacks. Then they unfolded a billboard with the title 'apology billboard' on a particular Saturday and the next day being Sunday, about four or five communities were completely destroyed in Kauru Local Government areas. So, we don't know what security measures they have put in place. The security deployment so far is just on the highways and probably with the mandate only to disarm innocent citizens who are trying to protect their homes. The attackers and terrorists always have a field day and the security men don't care about what they do.
Can you estimate or quantify losses (both human and material) incurred as a result of the incessant killings? The death toll for those who have lost their lives in the recent attacks according to the report by the Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchang is over 800. Interestingly, the Inspector General of Police who have not been doing anything about the situation in Southern Kaduna and who also have been silent all the while, came to say that the figure as declared by the Catholic Archdiocese is not true. He neither condemned the killings, commented on the loss of human lives and properties nor even gives a figure to counter what has been said. He was only concerned about attacking the leadership of the church that released that report.
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| VICTIMS OF RECENT ATTACK IN SOUTHERN KADUNA |
It is also shocking that that he set up a committee to investigate the killings but while the committee is yet to even sit talk more of giving him a report; he has already attacked one group and made some unpleasant comments about certain people. Remember that he is the one that set up the committee and chose all the committee members to investigate and now he is already declaring that the number which is over 800 is very ridiculous and that the number is far less than that. Now, what do you expect the committee to do? He set up the committee and he already has the outcome of the findings even before the committee starts sitting or investigation. Definitely, the committee is going to tow his line as I don't see any departure that the committee will eventually say a different thing from what he has said already.
In terms of material loss, close to 20 communities have been completely burnt down with IDPs scavenging on the streets or patching with relations because the Government feel Southern Kaduna is not worthy of an IDP camp. Most of these people lost everything and have nothing left but we are still collating. Today, I inaugurated a committee that is going round to assess the extent of damage and loss, both human and material so as to come up with a list of everything that has been lost, including casualties, the injured and the displaced. By the time we are through, we will also make our findings public. Let me make this point clear that in Southern Kaduna, there have not been clashes between farmers and herdsmen. There might have been some isolated cases that have always been there. When cattle graze into your farmland, issues are raised and then settled. These are isolated cases. What we are dealing with here is not the same. We are talking about people sleeping in their houses peacefully who have not provoked anyone are hunted down and butchered into pieces for no reason.
There has also been the suggestion in some quarters that the only solution to clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria is to establish grazing reserve for the latter; do you share in this opinion?
If you use the word clash, it means there was a confrontation or disagreement or misunderstanding but here, one side does all the killing. Let me use the example of 9/11, the people in the World Trade Centre didn't know what was going on but many of them just died. Many Americans didn't even know that there was an attack and ended up becoming victims. Now, if there is such an attack like the one at the World Trade Centre, then you say it's a clash, how does it really sound?
People keep saying that the solution is dialogue but dialogue with who? We are not fundamentally opposed to dialogue but a clash presupposes that there are two warring parties but no, in this case its one side that has the problem.
Now if what people are saying is that cattle rearers in Niger, Mali, Cameroun and other neighboring countries need grazing reserve to rear cattle in Nigeria because they cannot create them in their countries then we need to sit down and think. If they will leave their countries and come to Southern Kaduna to say this is where there must be grazing reserve, then they are also telling the whole world that the best way to get what you want is to go to the community, kill as many as you can until you get what you want. We have said it severally; whose land are you going to take for the grazing reserve? Why is nobody talking about the farmers who are cultivating their lands? If you say that our lands are fertile for rearing cattle and we say that your land is good for rearing pigs, can we have an exchange? Would you want me to rear my pigs in your own place?
So we are fundamentally opposed to the issue of grazing reserves because cattle rearing is private business. If anybody wants to do it, let him or her buy land build a ranch.
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