Are Fulani herdsmen overrated?

THE last several weeks have been witnessing some strange, and, in fact, unprecedented situations in the southern part of Nigeria especially in the so- called Southeast and South South geopolitical zones. In spite of the rigidly enforced nationwide lockdown prohibiting interstate movements over the corona virus pandemic, there ha ve been noticed unending streams of mass movements from northern Nigeria down to the southern part. Never in the histor y of Nigeria had there been such intense mass movements from the north to the south within a short space of time. The natural trajectory of migration in and around the countr y from the time of the colonial masters has been from South to the North. The north with its beautiful arable lands and abundant natural resources has always been the place many in the south migrate to in search of the means of livelihood. The North sparsely visits the South. And such visits when they occur, have always been in trickles and never in large crowds of young men and women wafting down south in fleets of haulage trailers or convoys of huge transport vehicles numbering in forties and fifties. There is hardly any doubt that the current coordinated mass movements of Northerners down south are contrived and intended for a purpose that cannot be anything but sinister.

On the part of the southerners, the buzz has been that the dreaded Fulani herdsmen of the middle- belt- genocides fame in coordination with Boko Haram and Islamic State Of West Africa militants that have been wreaking havoc and committing heinous atrocities in the north eastern part of Nigeria have begun to redeplo y to the southern part and readying themselves to launch their bing pastime, which is a killing spree among unprotected villagers in the zones. Over the last ten years or so, this has become the gruesome trademark of these heartless Islamic invaders. In view of the tragic history and pedigree of these new influxes into the southern zones, several clarion calls have gone out warning the people especially the longsuffering Igbos that the new waves into their zones were nothing short of heartless invaders with a deadly mission. The alarm has become so hysterical that many commentaries and even recorded voices in the social media are warning that the deadly Islamic in - vaders have already gained some strategic advantages by taking over most of the bushes and forests in the zones. Some journalists and researchers have taken the pains to list out the particular communities of the zones where the so- called waves of militants have allegedly gained some footholds in their surrounding bushes and forests. And the number listed so far runs frighteningly into several hundreds.

According to the repeated warnings pouring into the southeast and South South zones, the militants hiding in those forests are waiting for the final signal for them to begin their operation of massacring innocent villagers of the zones. And as if to confirm fears of an imminent invasion of southern Nigeria, haulage trucks purporting to transport foodstuff, livestock and building materials from far north to the south have been intercepted at the state borders with scores of local and foreign young men and women from northern Nigeria hidden alongside ammunitions interlaced with merchandise they use as a cover. As if that was not enough, many leaders of the violent Islamic sects such as the Mayetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, have been warning southerners especially the Igbos of the southeast and South South that unless they surrendered and turned over their bushes and forests to the militants, they would be attacked and wiped out of existence. The noise of the threats from the various Islamic militants warning of imminent invasion of the predominantly Christian southern Nigeria has reached such a high decibel that the different leadership groups of the Igbos from the different parts of the world have begun to take notice and to make some arrangements for some form of self- defense against the threatened invasion. m Fortunately the Igbos are coming to these threats with a lot of experience. In the last one hundred years, the Igbos in Nigeria have been massacred several times. The mother of all genocides against the Igbos of Nigeria took place on the eve of Nigerian civil when up to three million of them lost their lives in the pogrom that took place against them in the north from 1966- 1967 and the civil war that followed it up in Igbo land from 1967- 1970. Presumably, the Igbos have gained a lot of experience enduring all such genocides that have always been a part of their history as a forced member of the Nigerian nation. But the question is, will they ever make their experience count to their advantage especially now their oppressors appear intent on carrying their usual pastime of gratuitously murdering innocent Igbo people right into their villages? Since the beginning of the new deployments of Islamic militant troops to the Southeast and South South zones Igbo leaders have been doing a few commendable things along the line of securing their interstate borders and combing their bushes and forests in an attempt to flush out the militants. The example of Delta State Igbos is worthy of commendation and emulation by all communities in the two zones. The Deltans deployed their young men to comb through the forests and burn down settlements of those militants while urging their former residents to come out and integrate themselves with the rest of the citizens living in the streets. Deltans arguably have the best strateg y to checkmate and defeat the invading militants. It is as simple as denying them illegal residency in the forests and bushes around the southern zones.

Another great development in this very trying time in Nigeria is that the strong contingents of Igbos and southerners in diaspora are keeping a close tab on the events at home and have enlisted completely in the struggle to deny the invading militants any lasting strategic advantages in the zones. Apart from donating huge sums of money and materials to weather the COVID- 19- induced sufferings which the compromised and Islamic militancy- colluding Federal Government is exploiting to punish their usual victims, they have engaged fully in the necessary diplomatic moves and shuttles to alert the various organs of the international community about the impending invasion and possible massacre of innocent Christians from the southern zones of Nigeria. This is also worthy of commendation and emulation by all who wish to help the cause of securing and preserving the lives of innocent Christians from southern Nigeria. But in spite of the great steps being taken by the various groups of southern Nigeria and Igbo leadership to address the supposed imminent invasion of Islamic militants of their territories, it seems that only one step is necessary in our view. It has to do with how the peoples and leaders of Southern Nigeria manage their fears. As one of the greatest American presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, stated during the second world war, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. The threats, mass movements and blustering of those militants and their leaders have only one goal in view.

Read the remaining part of this article on www. guardian. ng