*Soil of our homelands has drunk enough blood
By Dayo Johnson, Akure
The Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has issued a strong call for Nigerians to rise up and defend their lives and territories in the wake of ongoing attacks by suspected Fulani militias across various parts of the country.
In a passionate statement, the forum condemned the recent massacres in Plateau and Benue states and declared that the time for mourning has passed—action is now necessary.
The statement entitled” The Days of Lamentation Are Over: Nigerians, Arise, Defend Your Lives and Territories, was signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan for Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum -Dr. Bitrus Pogu, Ohanaeze Ndigbo World-Wide -Senator John Azuta-Mbata and PANDEF, Amb. Godknows Igali. They lamented that “the planned, coordinated and unrelenting genocidal massacre by suspected Fulani militias in various communities across Nigeria has pushed all patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians beyond the threshold of mourning for decisive action by people of different nationalities and groups.
“The latest cold-blooded murder of not less than 50 innocent citizens of Irigwe ethnicity in Zike and Kakpa villages in Kwall District, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State last Sunday following similar killings of over 80 innocent lives in Bokkos Local Government Area few days earlier now leave the people with no choice than to take their destinies in their own hands severally and jointly.
“These terrorist killings wiping out entire families and villages hypocritically branded “farmers/herders clash” on the farmers’ land have become such commonplace that officials of the Nigerian state on each occurrence only indulge in comparative statistical analysis of the number of lives lost.
“ The only crime of our people is being Nigerians with their ancestral land and its reach resources on which they live peacefully.
“SMBLF notes that only a day after the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for security agencies to pursue the perpetrators of the Bokkos killings and in an astonishing display of impudence, a group calling itself the “Coalition of Registered Fulani Organizations in Plateau State” led by one Garba Abdullahi held a press conference in Kaduna wherein they issued conditions for peace.
“Amongst their demands was the removal of certain military commanders from Plateau State.
“Just days after these threats, as the condition was not met and knowing that the Presidential order was of no moment, the Bassa massacre occurred just as terror with sorrow tears and blood were unleashed on parts of Benue state by the same Fulani militias.
“While we may acknowledge that many Nigerians of Fulani origin may not support these heinous crimes perpetuated by their kinsmen from all over the West African sub-region the continued silence of their prominent leaders is suggestive of complicity in a clear Fulanisation agenda of Nigeria.
“In every community attacked, the Fulani militias not only destroy, but also settle on the lands often without resistance from the very security forces deployed to protect citizens.
“All the Federal Government does is condone these modern-day territorial conquests while the land owners are packed in camps of Internally Displaced Persons as rescued slaves with no hopes of returning home.
“All proposals and resolutions by well-meaning Nigerians which have even enjoyed national consensus for security of life and property including end to open grazing, establishment of State Police, restructuring and true federalism have been rejected by the Federal Government.
“SMBLF notes that even the salutary Amotekun Security Initiative by the South West States is being deliberately rendered impotent by a timid and complicit Nigerian state which continues to deny the outfit necessary capacity to confront terrorism.
“As leaders SMBLF can no longer remain in a state of lamentation and idle mourning while our people are in their numbers butchered in cold blood. The soil of our homelands has drunk enough of our own blood.
“To the people: Rise, stop mourning and lamentation; organize according to your respective cultural and indigenous ways of community defence, seek necessary capacity wherever possible and available.
“If our people were not conquered before Nigeria, we will not allow Nigeria subject us to destruction and slavery. Take back every inch of your land now.
“In the face of the failure of the Nigerian state to protect you, all acts and weapons in self defence are lawful and legitimate.
The forum concluded that “ Together, we will resist. Together, we will defend. Together, we will survive. Enough is enough.
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