Herdsmen now more deadly than Boko Haram –CAN

Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, yesterday condemned incessant attacks on many Nigerian communities by Fulani herdsmen. In a resolution after a meeting by its South-East zone in Enugu, the Christian body said it was high time the government took decisive action towards curtailing the scourge of  the herdsmen. Referring to the recent killing of hundreds of villagers in Agatu, Benue State, CAN said it was surprised that the herdsmen were murderously attacking communities with AK47 riffles, while security agencies looked the other way.

President of CAN in the zone, Most Rev. Prof. David Eberechukwu and National Chairman, Christian Enlightenment and Welfare Organisation, CEWO, Dr. Ajujungwa Joseph, who signed the resolution, said the question in the lips of Nigerians had remained “where do herdsmen get AK47 guns they carry and does it mean that both the police and the Army are not seeing them?” “It has been a great burden on the church in the East with regards to the attack by Fulani herdsmen on every part of the six geo-political zones in the country, with much emphasis on southern Nigeria and the North central zones. “The attacks of the Fulani herdsmen on the innocent citizens of this country have become a nightmare on their host communities. The incessant rapes and murder of peace loving Nigerians is highly condemnable,” CAN added. The group equally said it would vehemently resist any attempt to allocate grazing reserves for the herdsmen, even as it condemned such move.

“We condemn the idea of grazing fields and ask the sponsors of such bill to desist from it. This is clearly importation of terrorists into the nation and peace will elude the entire country,” it said. While urging the National Assembly never to pass such bill, the Christian body equally called on the Federal government “to come to the aid of the terrorised communities, where the herdsmen have created more problems than the Boko Haram. “We advocate the building of ranches, which will in turn provide schools, hospitals and employment to the teeming unemployed youths. This is what is obtainable in developed countries. “We also call on state governors to protect the communities under such threat and also strengthen community policing through the traditional rulers.”