Buhari uses Democracy Day speech to finally declare he will go after Fulani cattle herdsmen

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari appears to have finally decided to address the Fulani herdsmen saga by promising that his government will ensure that they and other criminal elements terrorising parts of the country will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Over recent years, well-armed Fulani herdsmen have been on the rampage across the country, attacking rural farming communities and killing hundreds of innocent people. President Buhari has come in for stiff criticism for failing to address the matter, amid talk that he is sympathetic to their cause being an ethnic Fulani himself and a keeper of cattle.

However, with the criticism growing louder by the day and presidential elections looming, President Buhari has made his first public condemnation of the herdsmen. Addressing guests during the Democracy Day Lecture held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja. President Buhari said those behind the killings and their sponsors would not be spared in federal government’s determination to punish the criminals.

He added that his administration was pained by the grievous destruction of lives by insurgents and other criminal groups in different parts of the country, insisting that his administration would not rest until they are brought to justice. According to the president, the government was strengthening the capacity of the security forces to deal with the high level of insecurity in the country through training and the purchase of equipment.

Furthermore, the president assured that public safety remained the cardinal focus of his administration, stressing that efforts towards that had yielded results as evidenced in the government reclaimed territories occupied by Boko Haram before the advent of his government. Besides, he said that it was his administration’s commitment in ensuring the protection of the citizenry that led to the rescue of some of the Chibok and Dapchi girls as well as 16,000 other captives held by Boko Haram.

President Buhari said: “The unfortunate incidences of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which have led to higher number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country is being addressed and the identified culprits and their sponsors shall be made to face the full wrath of the law. All the three tiers of government are presently engaged with communities and religious organisations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

“I want to commend members of the Multinational Joint Task Force drawn from Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and our own country in collaboration with the international community who are assisting in the fight against insurgency in the northeast. I also commend the gallantry of members of our armed forces and other security agencies that have continued to provide security for lives and properties across the country."

In the past, President Buhari has been seen as lukewarm to the herdsmen issue, as he has never made a nationwide broadcast on the matter, visited the affected areas or attended the funerals of any of the victims. Also, the security forces have been accused of aiding and abetting the herdsmen and in some cases looking the other way when they carried out their attacks.

On one occasion, President Buhari asked the inspector general of police to relocate to Benue State to face the issue but the order was ignored. Very few herdsmen have been brought to justice and no member of the security forces have been dismissed for dereliction of duty, which will prompt critics to say that President Buhari's latest stance is political.

“This administration is pained over the grievous loss of lives and properties occasioned by the carnage of insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country. I wish to assure Nigerians that we will not rest until all criminal elements and their sponsors are brought to justice," President Buhari added.