In the wake of the attack that claimed the lives of 87 confirmed people in Barakin-Ladi Local Government of Plateau state, the people of the area, the Berom, have been blamed for instigating the attack by rustling some of the Fulani Herdsmen’s cattle.
They have, through the chairman of the publicity committee of the Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation (BECO), Honourable Sam Godongs, reacted, stating that the Fulani are the ones rustling their own Cattle and that the people of Berom don’t even deal with Cattle.
Speaking in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Godongs said that the real motive of the herdsmen was land and space to dominate the Berom people in Plateau state.
When asked exactly how many were killed and how the attack occurred, he said: We have the figure of those that were killed in the last attack and I want to tell you that the death toll rises by the day. As of the last count, we recorded the death of 215 people, including children, women and the aged. This unfortunate incident happened in Razat, Soi, Ruku, Gindin-Apati, Gana-Rop, Dorowa-Babuji, Heipang and other villages. This is the worst massacre the Berom nation has ever witnessed. More than 15,000 lives have been lost by the Berom nation since 2001. You don’t need to provoke the Fulani herdsmen before they attack; they have a motive. Apart from the incident of last Saturday and Sunday morning, killings had continued on our farms, local routes, marketplaces at night and in daytime. There is no day without an incident. That is why we want Nigerians and the international community to help us. We know what is happening in Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states but in Plateau State, silent killings have been going on. You are asking why these killings? If you have weapons, you are so armed; you will always look for an opportunity to use them. If you have encouragement from the official circle, that is, people who encourage you by their comments, by their analysis, they give you impetus; they inspire you to go ahead. If you have enemies that are weak, you can go and kill them and go scot-free – no arrest, no persecution. That is what is happening.
He was also tasked about the claim by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria that Berom people rustled some cattle from them and to that he said: Satan doesn’t need to be provoked before he strikes. There is no need for any justification. I have never heard of anywhere in this country where the Fulani are such victims, but the question that needs to be answered is: do you equate animals with human beings? There is no justification for this. They are waging this war because they want space and territory and they have all that is required to prosecute it. If you said it was a reprisal, what reprisal and for what? In Fan district where they alleged that some cattle were rustled, for five days or more, a team of security agents combed every nook and cranny of Fan and no single cow was recovered. So, the logic of reprisal is faulty. I don’t know how people look at it but is it logical to say that all Berom people are rustlers. Is that the conclusion, all the people killed are rustlers? Churches were burnt. Is that where they took the decision to rustle cows? The big question is: reprisal for what?
Godongs also claimed that the Berom people don’t know much about Cattle and therefore are unable to really rustle anything from the Fulani. He stated that he posits that the Fulani were involved in the very Cattle rustling that they were carrying out reprisal attacks for.
The ultimate interest of the Fulani herdsmen is territory, space. Rustling is a criminal act that affects not just the Fulani. In Berom land which I represent, there are criminal elements. If you don’t know anything about cattle, you cannot rustle cattle; you have to have the experience with these animals. The Fulani are involved. They are at the forefront of cattle rustling. They have their collaborators. It is a criminal gang. The issue of reprisal is out of the question. I can tell you that they have their motives. These attacks have gone on for years. You kill innocent people indiscriminately, including children and say it is reprisal. Reprisal for what? Does it make sense? Are we in a lawless society? If you lost your cattle, do you just go on a killing spree to avenge the loss? Is it logical? Are we in an animal kingdom? Another question is: why is it that all the while, there is no single arrest? The attackers are not ghosts; you can see them.
In one of the incidents, my younger brother and others took security personnel along with them for a burial but they were attacked on the way and the security personnel vanished. Some people were killed, while others returned with gunshot wounds. We know the ultimate interest of these killer herdsmen and let me say clearly that we know that the havoc is beyond the capacity of the ordinary Fulani herdsmen; they have collaborators who are mercenaries. It is on the social media that they have a special force that nobody can arrest. People have claimed responsibility for these attacks several times and, yet, they are walking freely in the streets. What is your interpretation and what is my interpretation? It is clear that some people are aiding and abetting this thing that is going on in Berom land and beyond. The Irigwe and others are facing it. Southern Kaduna is facing it. In Taraba, they are facing it. Let us not be deceived, we have not yet seen the end of it. All our people should be ready to defend themselves. There are all sorts of allegations of people in military uniform. They are either part of it or they are providing cover. How do you defend that? People must not take their lives for granted. The situation demands that we be very vigilant and do everything in our power to preserve our God-given lives. We are not animals and we cannot be killed like flies.