It is an understatement that we are under siege and a truism that Nigeria has lost the essential attributes of a State, which is the security of life and property. The killing of Olajide Sowore along the Lagos-Benin Expressway, by herdsmen, is one too many of our able bodied youngsters being killed in their prime while those entrusted with our collective safety feign helplessness and most pathetically have refused all entreaties on solutions by men and women of goodwill. We recall that it was on this Highway that herdsmen snuffed life out of Mrs. Funke Olakunri, lawyer, banker and also in her 50s, daughter of the Leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasonranti.

The people of Nigeria, the vast majority of who are farmers, had long given up such economic activities as a result of the occupation of their land, destruction of their crops, harvests; raping of their daughters and mothers and killings of the defenceless men. In the same vein, neither roads, schools, any place, homes nor anywhere is, in any way, safe.

All suggestions and efforts by the people and governments of the states, particularly of southern Nigeria, which include requests for State Police and ban of open grazing of animals, have been deliberately frustrated by the Buhari administration, which argues instead in favour of the freedom of movements of animals and their herders across Nigeria, even from all over Africa.

For this reason, Sunday Igboho, for daring to speak out against the killings of his people, by this same herdsmen, is being hunted and those who share his views killed less than dogs, by security forces who work for killer herdsmen and also permit them to bear weapons more sophisticated than those of the security forces. The herdsmen undermine the constitution with impunity by not obeying anti grazing laws already made and brazenly declaring disobedience to those being made, knowing that they have the support of the Federal Government for such treasonable acts and virtual operations.

The blood of Olajide unfortunately further adds to those of the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, killed by the pampered herdsmen. Their blood is on the neck and hands of this government, crying for justice, further soaking the nation’s flag which drips ceaselessly still with the blood of Nigerians killed by herdsmen and their ethnic militias and those armless youths, who were hacked down by security forces for agitating for police reforms.

Sola Ebiseni.
Secretary General

Afenifere.