Blazing the Trail: Laying the Foudation for RUGA and Cattle Colony.

March 15, 2016

Culled from "The Agatu Siege and the Sins of Illiteracy: Balancing Cattle Rustling with Malicious Destruction of Commercial Farmlands by Cattle Herders." 

The Background of the Essay

The lackadaisical instinct of the overwhelming majority of the Cattle Merchants in Nigeria over the indiscriminate destruction of lives, cash crops, and farmlands in the Middle-Belt, South-West and South-South and South-Eastern regions of Nigeria by Cattle herders assumed a dismal absurdity of late. And the stakeholders and those with vested interests in the industry are not complaining. They have every reason not to. It is about strength. They have it. They love it. And they cherish it. And that explains the nature of the unbridled carnage and invasion with the intent to conquer and annihilate that some mercenaries masquerading as herdsmen visited on the people and indigenes of Agatu village about a week ago. This headline put it succinctly: Bloody Farmer/Fulani herdsmen clashes in Benue: 40 killed, scores injured, 2000 displaced. Vanguard, February 28, 2016.

The first rule of thumb in combat is to situate yourself at a competitive edge and operate from a position of strength. And that's what Fulani Herdsmen and their principal owners (the very powerful, the very influential, and the very connected behind the scene Cattle Merchants) enjoy the most. Strength. Going by their modus operandi, the law of Trespass or Trespass to land is alien to them - cultivated or not, the land belongs to no one, but the fittest.

Speaking on behalf of the Agatu indigenes, at a meeting held at the instance of the Police Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, between Agatu community and Fulani community, Mr. Akpa Iduh lamented that the crisis started over five decades ago, and stated that it had recently turned into a war because of the types of weapons the herdsmen were using against them. In his words, “Fulani mercenaries were killing both children and pregnant women on sight.” Adding, “The herdsmen are bent on turning our land into their grazing area, thereby rendering us homeless and without food.”

It is the same story all over Nigeria, and it is, indeed, the survival of the fittest. This morning, March 14, 2016, the Vanguard is reporting the story of a traumatized Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Dr. Taiwo Akande, following the invasion of the Polytechnic’s farms by Fulani herdsmen. According to the Rector,  “It is most painful to also disclose that some of the pilot farm projects, academic, research demonstration farms and recently established plantations on which we pinned our hope of future revenue enhancement have been destroyed one after the other by the Fulani cattle rearers. They will bring their animals to the campus environment and eat up every green thing in sight.”

From all indications, the herders firmly believe that they have unqualified right to graze where and how they please. And the stakeholders are happy - yes, happy at the peril of defenseless peasants and commercial landowners and farmers who have no Police Task Force or a Joint Task Force of the Nigerian Armed Forces to run to for rescue.

Moving Forward:

I do not subscribe to the call for the disintegration of Nigeria – never in my imagination. Our socio-economic integration is too strong and too complex for experimentation. Decentralization? Yes. Because Abuja is yet to prove that it has the tenacity and capability to manage the bureaucratic monstrosity inherent in our complex federalism.

Nevertheless, as an individual or group, you have every right to defend yourself, your family, your cattle, your farm, and your property by appropriate measures consistent with applicable laws in the face of clear and present danger. Yes, you have an unqualified right to defend yourself and your property, when you feel violated by an intruder whose definition of preemptive rights is akin to a page taken from a mob scene. Yes, you must stand your ground and defend yourself where the enforcer of peace is overpowered by the ghost of the intruders. Yes, let there be peace, but there can never be peace where the aggressor, whether cattle rustler or cattle herder, misunderstood his victim's peaceful disposition for weakness.

It is no longer a secret - never was - that President Buhari once traveled to Ibadan, Oyo State, to intercede on behalf of Fulani Herdsmen in that part of the country who were facing some challenges. Then, he was only a respected retired Military Officer. Today, he is a different person. He is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria - our President. To him, no tribe or region is more important than the other, and every industry or trade deserves as much protection as the other. It is time we provide designated grazing land or ranches for cattle farmers as the culture is in advanced climes, similar to what the Elders of the Yorubaland outlined in their communique.

I want to point out that this paper purposely left out details of specific instances of gruesome attacks unleashed on defenseless farmers and traditional rulers, especially in the Niger Delta in the past year. In the end, I want this paper; provocative and annoying as it may appear in the opinion of interested stakeholders, to be remembered as the final thought, the deciding thought, on what has been a very polarizing issue in one of the most lucrative markets in our local economy - beef.

I am not the enemy. Those we should call to order are the stupendously rich, vindictive Cattle owners who send unlettered and barely literate herders with pricey herds on a voyage to the unknown - armed with dangerous weapons; traversing friendly territories with aggression; shooting at sight defenders of protected rights; ravaging private farmlands with careless abandon; and unleashing brutal sex and extorted kisses on unwilling defenseless participants. Yes, I said it. They are the enemies of the state to be resented. Not me.

We have to talk about this. Not because I hate the Fulani or the Cattle Merchants, but because their Cattle Herders are the invaders, the aggressors - pushing Nigeria to the brink of economic crisis and ethnic conflagration. A crisis that will surpass in scope and style the Boko Haram insurgency and the activities of the Niger-Delta militants combined. Time is of the essence. The President has the goodwill to negotiate a permanent peace. The best way to start is the establishment of grazing ranches.

Chief Olu Falae has a dam at his farm. And that is the attraction, according to the elder statesman. If we have two or three dams in each of the states in the federation, specifically set aside for ranches or grazing areas, it will go a long way to ensuring peaceful co-existence between the host communities and Cattle Herders.

As a final thought, the Middle-Belt cannot be vanquished of the aborigines - the land is their ancestral land. In addition, the now docile Igbo women will dance naked, if the need be, to protect their farmlands and ensure the virginity of the meek in their midst. AK47 is not the answer. The law of vicarious liability is real and well in Nigeria. You cannot separate the principal merchants from the acts, omissions and the atrocities of their agents, the herders.

In spite of everything, I will not be blinded by political correctness to deviate from the truth or close my eyes to disturbing realities. I believe in one great Nigeria of equal rights and justice where my Edo State has the right and power to define the use of her land and resources and a Nigeria where no Kwankwaso will invade my privacy or impugn the integrity of my elders. Yes, I believe in one true strong Nigeria where my right to serve my nation is not defined or circumscribed by my place of birth or the opinion I share on my blog or in social media.

Yes, talk, I will talk and write, I will write about what ails us a nation-state, proffering practical and common-sense solutions as appropriate. I don't want my son and his generation to start all over again, discussing 1914 and the ills of amalgamation, true federalism and the barbaric exploits of some Fulani Herdsmen occupying or trespassing on his Father's land. Let's change the narrative, starting from this very moment. And that depends largely on the nature of CHANGE that President Buhari is willing to pursue. Let's give grazing ranches a chance and I hope the Presidency will provide the Minister of Agriculture with all the human and material resources reasonably necessary to ensure that between now and mid-2019, each state in the federation has at least three ranches or grazing zones for cattle.

The first step is to set up a Federal Task Force for Land/Sight Acquisition. Next, the Task Force, will among other things, collaborate with State Governors, Stakeholders in the industry, Financial Institutions, and Community Leaders with a view to securing suitable land and funding.

We should be bold, Nigeria; we should be creative and daring in confronting daunting challenges appearing insurmountable. Just pause for a moment and take your mind off ranches or grazing zones, but think and reflect on the huge beef industry and factor in the massive employment opportunities.

We spend so much time discussing Paris Club, Debt obligations, IMF Loan, and all the financial re-engineering hocus pocus that we do not have any control over and will never add values to our economy. There is nothing wrong with paying a debt, but there is everything right in a sustainable development initiative that is enduring, home-grown and aggressively pursued. Let’s give cattle ranches a chance.

Once again, this is a big business. Stakeholders should endeavor to cultivate their own land and plant their grass or crops to feed their own herds, just as farmers and landowners clear and cultivate their own land before planting their own crops. Cattle herders have been reaping where they did not sow. That is an economic injustice. It is patently unreasonable and it has to stop.  I beg to move.

Mr. Alex Aidaghese is a Lawyer, and he contributed this piece from Abuja, Nigeria. He can be reached at alexaidaghese@gmail.com.

Author's Comment, November 15, 2019.

A few days ago, I decided to read the essay on Aguta siege when I noticed a few hits coming from Nigeria, the US and Europe to read the essay. It got to a stage and I began to cry - crying for my country for lost opportunities to tap into the wisdom or common sense of the creative thinkers it boasts of. I am not a cattle owner and I am not a Hausa/Fulani. I am an Esan by tribe and I am a Nigerian of Southern extraction. When I wrote that essay, I was thinking as a Nigerian. When I wrote that essay, it was how to advance peace and security in Nigeria. What I did is not unique. That's exactly what individuals do in a country where all the citizens are treated equally. Three years later, I became one of the most strident voices against the policy I helped to incubate. And it has to do with trust. I thought I could trust President Buhari, but he is irredeemable. The present leadership of Miyetti Allah is the worst thing to happen to the cattle industry in Nigeria. I don't want heartless and barbaric cattle herder immigrants in my Papa's land, who will turn around to kill my people and dispose of my King and replace him with one of their own.