The killings in Kogi East
It was a very sad in Nigeria a fortnight ago when reports filtered in of brutal killings in agrarian communities in Dekina and Omala Local Government Areas of Kogi State. The bloodshed was carried out by bandits alleged to be herdsmen who went on the rampage and killed 32 persons, among them the Onu Agbenema, Musa Edibo and his wife. Some of the communities that came under attack included Abejukolo, Obakume, Idirisu, Oji Apata Agbenema, Aj’Ichekpa, Opada and Iyade.
The violence in Kogi State came weeks after Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, in an effort to curb incessant conflicts between farmers and herders, earmarked 15,000 hectares of land in the state for the establishment of a cattle colony. There is no greater measure to peace-initiative than this concession in support of the Federal Government’s dream to restrict the nomadic activities of herdsmen and the conflicts that attend to them. We therefore strongly condemn the violence in the two local governments and call on Kogi State and Federal Governments to institute an investigative panel to unravel their causes and punish those who masterminded them.
For the violence to take place at a time when the Army had deployed troops to Kogi State under its Operation Cat Race is an indication that the problem of insecurity in that part of the country is getting out of hand. The bandits defied the military’s activities - raids, cordon and search operations, road blocks, show of force and checkpoints. They successfully went on to kill peasants and destroy villages and the security agents were unable to render any help. It is therefore imperative of the army to review its activities under Operation Cat Race to ensure that what they do at the moment is relevant in the prevention of criminal activities and arrest of criminals.
The killings in Kogi East have further proved that the current security arrangement in the country is not adequate in tackling the level of insecurity in Nigeria. As it stands today, Nigerians who live in rural areas have been abandoned to their fate as they hardly feel the presence of the Nigeria Police Force or that of the military. Unfortunately, the authorities have mouthed the concept of community policing, which is supposed to enhance intelligence gathering in rural areas in order to tackle security challenges in rural communities. Security agencies should rise from theorising to practically devising effective means of dealing with the insecurity in rural areas.
We call on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to mobilise resources to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Kogi East and provide food, medicine and shelter to victims of the violence. Also, the Victim Support Fund (VSF) should send a team to the communities that have been destroyed, do an audit of the losses suffered by the people and embark on measures to compensate them so as to enable them return to their homes and begin to live their normal lives.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the conflict between farmers and herders is taking a very dangerous dimension, as it is encouraging the people to engage in hate speech, self-help and to set up local militia. This is not healthy for Nigeria, as violence begets more violence. There can be no development in an atmosphere of constant violence. It is, therefore, high time the political leaders shun non-profitable blame-game and come up with patriotic and nationalistic strategies that would bring an end to the killings.
From all indications, there is no ethnic community that rejoices over the constant bloodshed in the country - neither farmers nor herders. The government should urgently implement all-inclusive policies that would give these peasants a sense of belonging. It is time to bring in herders and farmers in the peace process. It is time to evolve strategies that would lead to the arrest and punishment of criminal bandits who obviously have a field day from the North to the South of Nigeria.