How many people were killed in Benue and the neighbouring states of Taraba, Nasarawa and Plateau by the murderous Fulani herdsmen since January this year? The figure is necessary to enable us know how to share the N10 billion which the Nigerian federal government said they would give the people, probably as compensation for the barbaric attacks by Fulani herdsmen in the area.
Since the killings began early this year, there have been hues and cries from several quarters urging the Federal Government to be alive to its responsibility by protecting the lives and property of the people of the area.
But rather than rise to the occasion, the government only looked the other way while the people were being slaughtered like cows. Some people had even alleged that some government agencies had hands in these killings.
But while the killings were going on unabated, some principal characters of the administration were busy philosophising and rationalizing as to reasons behind these murderous acts. In the process they came up with conflicting and confusing theories.
While some of the theorists attributed the killings to communal clashes among the people of the area, others said the killings were in response to the anti-grazing law enacted by the Benue State government. And yet, the biggest of them all looked beyond the borders of the country to finger some agents of former Libyan leader, Colonel Muommer Ghadafi, who died some years ago. In the process, they did nothing to stop the killings.
Some people were of the view that that the conflicting theories were ploy aimed at diverting people’s attention from the wanton killings going in the area. Ironically, while these killings were going on, nobody was arrested, much more charged to court to answer for the crimes. Now the government has come up with N10 billion donation. For what?
What the people of Benue and these other states want from the Federal Government is not N10 billion or whatever amount. What has N10 billion got to do with the loss of precious lives of the people, or with the raping of their women, with the destruction of their farmlands, with the burning down of their houses, the killing Christian worshippers, etc? Absolutely nothing. How many N10 billion can equate with thousands of people killed in the area?
In other words, what the people of Benue want is not N10 billion, but that their lives be secured so that they would be free to go about their daily activities, in particular, attend to their crops in their farms without contending with herds of cattle incessantly destroying their crops. That’s the only thing they want.
