Presidency Reacts To Claims That Buhari Is Condoning Attack By Herdsmen

Femi Adeshina

The presidency has rejected claims that President Muhammadu Buhari is taking the killings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen in the country with levity.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adeshina, said this in a video message posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

He dispelled insinuations that the president is condoning the herdsmen because he’s a Fulani man, adding that the killings by the herdsmen had been happening in the past in Benue State before Buhari took over in 2015.

He said: “Something that is disturbing that I have heard about it is linking those developments to the fact that a Fulani man is president and so, he is brooking such kind of evil acts. I think that is very unkind. And I will try to back my position with statistics.

“In 2013, particularly, there were nine cases of herdsmen invading communities in Benue state alone and more than 190 people were killed.’’

The presidential aide also noted that in 2014, there were about 16 of such ruthless act where more than 231 people killed, adding that there were six attacks which left 335 people dead between January 2015 and May 2015.

“Now, the question is, during that period, did we have a Fulani president? This is showing us that the issue of herdsmen attacking settlements, attacking farmers, attacking communities is pure criminality and it is something that government must deal with.

“It is the duty of government to preserve the lives of the citizenry. It is the responsibility of government to maintain law and order and that this government is determined to do. Therefore, let nobody say that all this is happening because we have a Fulani president.

“We have had many Fulani presidents in the past and this issue of herders and local communities at loggerheads has predated this government,’’ he added.

Adesina, therefore, assured Nigerians that the government is on top of the situation.