By Godwin Etakibuebu
The Leadership Newspaper of Monday, May 28, 2018, reported the Sultan of Sokoto appropriately over his call on the federal government to arrest and prosecutes those herdsmen responsible for killing innocent people all over the country. The headline of the news report, which says “Arrest, prosecute killer herdsmen, sponsors, Sultan tells FG”, was heart-gladdening, at least until the news report takes one to the place where the Sultan attempted identifying whom the killer-herdsmen are.
At that point the thought of the Sultan became obviously biased. Before delving into analysing the area where the most respected Sultan’s mind for unbiased justice gathered hiccup, let us look at the news report presented by the Leadership tabloid on the subject matter more critically.
Highlighted areas in this work represent exactly how the Newspaper [Leadership] reported the matter.
“The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSICA), Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday implored the federal government to arrest and prosecute those behind killings across the country. He lamented that the age-long farmers/ herders’ crisis, which is known to all as a purely economic one, has been hijacked by some criminal elements lately”, his Eminence was quoted as saying before adding that “those killing innocent people, especially in the Middle Belt region, are criminals who should be arrested and punished accordingly”.
Up to this point of presentation Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar spoke the minds of the civilized world because what everyone wants the federal government to do is to be decisive in dealing with the killer-herdsmen. We expected a government that would protect lives and properties of the citizenry across the country and not a government that would be sleeping directly or pretending not knowing what is happening while killing of citizens goes unabated.
Like l said earlier above, it is good to continue with how the newspaper reported the next stage of the Sultan’s interpretation of the killer-herdsmen that must be arrested and dealt with by the government before venturing into opinion’s formation about the sagacity or otherwise of the mind of this great man of Allah. This is necessary because of what the Sultan said next. And this is what he said.
The Sultan who spoke while addressing resident communities, heads of security agencies, religious leaders and journalists during a Ramadan breakfast dinner held at his palace, however, warned against arresting and killing innocent Fulanis. “But don’t arrest or kill innocent Fulani men just like what had happened in Benue State when innocent Fulanis who were on transit were stopped and killed by some residents of the state,” he cautioned.
This is where the twist of mind on issue of justice started summersaulting. Here was His Eminence who had earlier defined the killing of people of Benue State as a heinous crime that the government must deal with, saying that the killing was done by some herdsmen other than the Fulani. The implication of this is clear enough in interpretation. The Sultan, by his statement, has clearly exonerated his kinsmen – the Fulani – from the killer-herdsmen that everyone in this country knows about.
By his postulation, the Sultan has even contradicted security agencies’ report indicting Fulani herdsmen in the killing of the Benue State people. Ditto those in Plateau, Taraba and many other States of the Federation. This is a very poor way of standing the truth head down. Let us look at another dimension of his presentation as we shall come to this [his] style of defense later.
“Urging victims of insurgency and other aggrieved persons never to allow terrorists win the war against Nigeria, he said the recent statement credited to some Christian leaders was a pointer to that direction. The religious and traditional leader further urged Christians and all other victims of insurgency to think twice before making comments that are capable of making terrorists win their war against the Nigerian State.”
Reacting to a statement credited to some Christian leaders that if the only Christian girl abducted alongside the freed Muslims girls from Dapchi school eventually dies in the hands of Boko Haram, Nigeria will be heading for a religious war, he maintained that terrorism has no religion. The Sultan regretted that such unfair statement could come from respected Christian leaders, even as he wondered the rationale such retaliation would be. “How could that be? Did the Muslims connive with Boko Haram to abduct the girls and release others?” he queried.
Dispelling the impression that Boko Haram is targeted at Christians on behalf of the entire Nigerian Muslims, Sultan said Boko Haram killed more Muslims than Christians. The royal father stated: “For them (Christian leaders) to now make that comment that if she dies in the hand of Boko Haram there will be a religious war is very unfair. How could you start attacking Muslims because this innocent girl happened to be a victim of murderous terrorists? Should we allow ourselves to be controlled by such mentality? It means they (Boko Haram) are winning the war because that is what they want. “If they hear about this and go ahead and kill the innocent girl, that means you are part and parcel of what made them to do that because they want to cause confusion in the country. We are all praying for her safe return and for the safety of every Nigerian, irrespective of his or her religion”.
The Sultan further queried the Nigerian media over some of their reports, saying they are inimical to peace and unity. He also warned against the deliberate use of unverified reports and gory pictures, especially by the social media, which have been raising tension in the country. He said a picture of Fulani herdsmen holding G4 riffle used by some media organisations to portray attacks on innocent Nigerians was uncalled for because the said picture was that of herders in the Central Africa Republic, which has been in existence for over 20 years. “There is no G4 riffle because it had been wiped away for long. That picture used particularly by Channels TV was that of herders in Central Africa who were being terrorised by rustlers because cattle rustling started in their country long before coming to Nigeria”, he explained.
Now, let us evaluate the Sultan’s judgment and verdict on the subject under discuss. I am running away with four points for proper scrutiny.
One, the Sultan refusal to accept the fact that the killer-herdsmen are Fulani is nothing but travesty of justice. One would rather that the revered man of God did not contribute to the subject matter in this manner at this point in time. The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria [it is alleged that the Sultan is one of their Patrons] admitted the involvement of Fulani herdsmen in the killing. The Nigerian Minister of Defense; a biological Hausa/Fulani man admitted the involvement of Fulani herdsmen in the killing and the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force admitted same.
Two, to say that our young daughter, Leah Sharibu, abducted from Dapchi school has nothing to do with Islam or being a Muslim as the Sultan claimed, is presentation of illogicality of absurdity to the comic theatre of fools. Such presentation can only be vexatious. Why was Leah Sharibu removed from the vehicle she boarded with all her colleagues the day the so-called Boko Haram was to return them to Dapchi except on the ground that she was a Christian who refused to convert to Islam? Does my most respected Sultan needs any soothsaying to know the issue or challenge at hand that it is all about her converting to Islam?
Three, Boko Haram first and only demand up till date is eradication of Western Education [for which education than Arabic which is now being forced on Nigerians by the Buhari-led federal government?], implementation of Sharia laws all over Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan to vacate Aso Rock for a Muslim President [of course Jonathan is gone by the strength of 93% of Muslim votes in favour of Buhari] amongst other demands. Unlike the thinking of the Sultan, which he graciously shared with us, that the terrorism going on in Nigeria “has nothing to do with religion”, the whole world knows that it has everything to do with religion. It is all about eliminating of one religion [Christianity] in favour and sustenance of another [Islam].
Four, the need to blame the Media in this battle, as vehemently done by His Eminence does not arise. The Sultan is right, as a professional Military officer who retired on the rank of Brigadier General that G4 Riffles have been phased out. He should be willing to forgive the ignorance of the Press [not peculiar only to Channels TV which he mentioned] for mentioning “G4 riffle” as against “AK47 riffle”. The truth however is this: the Nigerian Hausa/Fulani herdsmen carry AK47 riffle for their killing operations.
What l may not know however is where they got the AK47 from. They might have gotten them from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya as President Muhammadu Buhari said or from the Central Africa Republic as the Sultan is alleging.
Finally, Your Eminence, it is with my most utmost respects that I put this corrective opinion on record, first for posterity’s advantages in evaluating Nigeria’s cumbersomeness in issues that postdated their era. And in the other hand, I owe it a reverence duty to your Eminence in helping to revolutionise your mind of justice. On the latter, l deserve your commendation Sir.
Godwin Etakibuebu; a veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos.