Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani sociocultural association has lamented the increasing militarisation of social crisis, stating that banditry is a social issue that cannot be solved even by a million of such jets.
Speaking at the launching of an interactive policy dialogue and cultural festival with the aim of addressing challenges confronting the Fulani ethnic stock in Nigeria, former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, lamented what he called the federal government’s increasing militarisation of banditry in the country.
Delivering his keynote address, Usman said: “Banditry is a social problem and Nigeria is increasingly militarizing it. There is a role for the military but there is not going to be a military solution to banditry anywhere in this country.
“Only if we all come in to solve this problem, and it is not time to blame anybody, we are all in this mess together and somebody told me we all bore this ‘pregnancy’ and gave birth to this monster called banditry. We are all responsible for this problem directly or indirectly, and the soldiers are called to clean up the mess. I told them, military, you cannot do this alone.”
Also speaking at the first interactive policy dialogue and cultural festival with the theme, ‘The Future of Fulani Pastoralists in Nigeria’, held yesterday in Abuja, Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, expressed fears about the seeming infiltration of herdsmen by elements of the Boko Haram terrorists.
Gumi restated his earlier position that Nigeria had pushed the bandits to the wall and bemoaned the growing animosity towards the Fulani, saying while over 99 per cent of them are good people, it is only an insignificant number of herdsmen who had taken to crimes.
While speaking further, Gumi said: “They (bandits) have been pushed to the wall. Somebody will say they are criminals but I wonder who is not a criminal. When villagers would hear on radio that this governor or accountant has stolen billions. What do you expect him to do? He would steal too.
“My only fear is the infiltration of terrorists into their midst. I think it is something we have to consider very seriously. We have to go in and capture them from terror. And even the terrorists themselves, I think there has been some neglect. I discussed with a former president who told me that he has been to some areas where you have Boko Haram and that they are ready to lay down their arms with conditions but the government of that day refused to accept those conditions. Up till now, Boko Haram is not a hopeless case. We have to protect our herdsmen from the infiltration of terrorists.”
On his part, Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said the current allocation to issues facing the Fulani is grossly low and advocated increased funding.
Earlier, President of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Abdullahi Bodejo, said the two-day event was to consider the existential threats facing the Fulani and as well showcase the rich cultural heritage of the ethnic group.
