Reasons Why Some Groups Want Killer Herdsmen Declared As Terrorist Group

The mayhem and massacre caused by killer herdsmen all over Nigeria are not being taking lightly by some socio-groups.

The request by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for the United Nations to declare attacks by herdsmen in Nigeria as terrorist acts is neither misplaced nor inappropriate, going by the mode and regularity of the mayhem visited by the herdsmen to innocent Nigerians. If anything, the call should be an urgent reminder to President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to perform its constitutional duty of protecting lives and property of Nigerians, or contend with the consequences of its failure.

Already, the unceasing attacks are assuming a dangerous dimension, following the revelation of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State that members of some communities in the state were paying toll fees to herdsmen before they were allowed to gain access to their farms. As the governor noted, such a situation is alarming as it poses a precipice to a worst crisis if not urgently reversed.

There is little doubt that the operations of the herdsmen have all the trappings of terrorism, going by the international definition of such acts. The fact that the federal government has failed to accept it as such is unfortunate; while the government’s failure to take stern action to end the killings and destruction is equally pathetic. Therefore, SERAP’s request for a UN pronouncement and action can hardly be faulted.

In an open letter to the UN Security Council, SERAP asked the international community to “urgently hold a special session on Nigeria, and to visit the country to press the authorities to end continuing killings and destruction of property by suspected herdsmen across Nigeria, particularly in the North Central of the country.” The group also asked the council to treat the atrocities by herdsmen “as terrorist acts, in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2349 (2017), which addresses Boko Haram’s presence in the Lake Chad Basin and calls on all states to combat all forms and manifestations of terrorism.”

It is clear also that SERAP’s letter is informed by the need to save lives and property, which are being daily desecrated by herdsmen in many parts of the country, particularly the middle belt. According to the group, “declaring attacks by herdsmen as terrorist acts would help make the authorities to seriously address the threats posed by herdsmen and combat the crimes against humanity being committed against Nigerians.”

As the crisis occasioned daily by herdsmen continue to fester and assume dangerous implications, neither the executive nor the legislative arms of the federal government has taken sufficiently stern actions against the menace. Yet, the herdsmen attack is a serious problem that requires a drastic solution.

Source: Independent