By SKC Ogbonnia
August 19, 2019
The Herdsmen terrorism in Nigeria has lasted because the victims are
typically the ordinary people. Consider, for instance, two recent
killings, in which the victims happened to be an ordinary man of God and
a daughter of a prominent politician.
Take note of this name: Funke Olakunrin. She was the daughter of the
Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti. Though murdered in cold blood by
bandits on July 12, 2019, the unfortunate incident might turn out a
sacrificial lamb in the fight against herdsmen terrorism in the country.
Before Mrs. Olakunrin, many Nigerians had lost their lives at the hands
of Fulani herdsmen in recent years. The number is in thousands, and
across the country, particularly the minority areas of the Middle Belt.
Different pressures, both local and international, to provoke the
Federal Government towards meaningful action fell on deaf ears.
But all that changed with case of the daughter of the politician from
the highly influential Southwest Nigeria, home to the country’s human
rights superstars. This death shook the political class, reminding them
it could be any of them any day. A cream of who is who in Nigerian
politics quickly found their way to the victim’s Akure home. Former
President Goodluck Jonathan was on hand, praying for an end to the
killings. The dean of former presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote a
damning letter, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to do something.
The major socio-cultural groups in the country, notably, Afenifere,
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, the Southern and Middle Belt
Leaders Forum, Coalition of Northern Groups, and Northern Elders Forum
were not left behind. Strong warnings also came from the sole Nigerian
Nobel laureate and eminent activist, Wole Soyinka, and the preeminent
king in the region, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja
II.
The Federal Government finally woke up. President Buhari, who had always
shown indifference to past killings, swiftly condemned the terrorist act
and promised to fish out the culprits. He followed by dispatching his
deputy, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, to pay a condolence visit to Pa
Fasoranti. Akure, the home of the deceased, suddenly became a political
Mecca for the ruling party henchmen, including its National Leader, Bola
Tinubu, and host of others. Importantly, Buhari would meet with the
traditional rulers from the Southwest Nigeria and promised to launch
drones and CCTVs in Pa Fasoranti’s region.
Now, place the account above side by side with the case of the man of
God, the Catholic Reverend Father Paul Offu, who was murdered in my area
of Enugu State by suspected Fulani herdsmen August 1, 2019. This
gruesome act made news, quite alright, especially among the Catholic
faithful. The priests of Catholic Diocese of Enugu matched to protest
for their colleague. Rome was furious, as did many Christian
organizations around the world. President Buhari also joined and ordered
a manhunt for the killers.
But that was as far as the attention could go. There was no motorcade of
the rich and famous thronging to the home of the poor man of God.
Besides a statement from the governor of Enugu State, and unlike the
scene during the last elections where the two major parties rented tents
at the Adoration Ground Enugu, seeking Father Ejike Mbaka’s
endorsement, neither former leaders, current, nor future leaders could
show serious concern. The two federal lawmakers from the area, namely
Senator Ike Ekeremadu and Hon. Toby Okechukwu rather chose to travel to
faraway Germany to celebrate fake new yam festival while their region
was under siege.
Vice-President Osinbajo, who doubles as man of God, could not even
commiserate, let alone pay a visit to Father Offu’s village. And, of
course, there was no meeting between South-East leaders and President
Buhari nor concrete national action plan to combat terrorism in the
Eastern flank. This seemingly double standard prompted the apex Igbo
socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, to demand equal justice in line
with the security measures initiated in the Southwest Nigeria.
Yet, the attention garnered thus far by the killing of Father Paul Offu
would not have materialized, if the incident was not preceded by that of
the daughter of Chief Reuben Fasoranti. After all, many other men of God
had been victims, particularly in Northern Nigeria. Moreover, two
Catholic priests had lost their lives at the hands of the terrorists in
the same Enugu State in recent months without much fuss. In fact, unlike
in the past, the security agencies in Enugu State, along with Governor
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, demonstrated seriousness. Within three weeks after the
killing, the Police Commissioner, Enugu Command, Mr. Suleiman Balarabe
paraded Ibrahim Adamu and Idris Tobe as suspects, contrary to the
subservient insinuations of Bola Tinubu that herdsmen terrorism in the
South is a hoax.
The current fight against insecurity in Nigeria must not be selective.
President Buhari should, therefore, hasten to equally launch tangible
anti-terrorist measures in the East, as well as other hot areas,
particularly the Middle Belt, which has been the epicenter of herdsmen
killings in the country. The government must depart from the prevailing
pattern where patronage is based purely on political calculations. For
good governance in the entire country is vitally important to all. As an
American president, John F. Kennedy once noted, “If a free society
cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are
rich.”
SKC Ogbonnia, a 2019 APC presidential aspirant, is the author of the
Effective Leadership Formula.