Human Rights Activist Chief Femi Falana (SAN) would on Monday, 25th of April, file a case of genocide and ethnic cleansing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Hague and the ECOWAS Court, against Fulani herdsmen for their continued massacre of the innocent people and farmers in Jukunland, of Southern and Central Taraba State, in North Eastern part of Nigeria.
He said this when he received the leaders of the Jukun Development Association of Nigeria in his office.
The Jukun leaders came to submit to him, a 1000 page document detailing the targeted cleansing of their people by the rampaging herdsmen.
He said he was dismayed at the “unprecedented massacre of unarmed farmers” being killed by these herdsmen in Jukunland in Taraba State and the other parts of North Central Nigeria every day, describing it as “a mindless pogrom”.
He said: “It is very clear by the pictorial and other evidence contained in this evidence that the people of the North Central Nigeria are going through terrible things daily in the hands of these herdsmen. Lives and properties are no longer safe from these people who killed and maim, and rape women at will just because they wanted their cattle to graze on other people’s farmlands.”
He therefore called on the Federal Government to send as many security agencies as possible to battle the insurgency and protect the people. He was of the opinion that if nothing was done then the people would resort to self help. which would only cause further unrest.
The National President of the Jukun Development Association of Nigeria Mr Benjamin Bako said that the people of Jukun had come to Falana to help defend the people who were being killed by the herdmen and to shine a spotlight on the situation. He was shocked and saddened by how little media attention the whole saga was getting.
“Jukun Development have officially compiled a 1000 paged document containing details of Fulani herdsmen atrocities, including names of all the individuals killed and properties destroyed by the herdsmen in the last four years in Jukunland to human rights lawyer Chief Femi Falana (SAN), whonhad been briefed to formally file a case of genocide on behalf of the association”.
Mr. Bako was also saddened that President Buhari had kept quiet on the matter and had done nothing so far to help them. He appealed to Nigerians and the international community to help them stand up and face the perpetrators.
culled from the nationonline