…says ‘President’s six-year tenure promotes want, deprivation among Nigerians’
. Group urges FG to probe how poor herdsmen acquire expensive AK-47 rifles
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights says President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure in governance and his lopsided appointments are the reasons for the recent rise in ethnic nationalism in the country.
CDHR stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting of its National Executive Committee.
The communiqué signed by the National President of the CDHR, Dr Osagie Obayuwana, stated that the NEC exhaustively deliberated on two major issues: the state of the CDHR and the state of the nation.
The communique partly read, “Again, to the CDHR, the primary culprit is the failure of the Buhari government whose six-year tenure has so far promoted want and deprivation across board for the teeming masses of Nigeria on the one hand, and wealth accumulation for a few, on the other hand.
“General Buhari has through appointments and body language encouraged the thinking that his tenure in office is to promote the ethnic hegemony of the Fulani stock; some hawks amongst whom who now openly talk of the consummation of the Uthman Dan Fodio Jihad of conquering the entirety of the landmass called Nigeria.
“President Buhari, being an owner of herds of cattle himself, obviously cannot rise above his entanglement in conflict of interest in the Herdsmen/Farmers faceoff. We are not surprised that after the rejection of his Ruga proposal, he has retreated into subterfuge in shadowy manoeuvres.”
CDHR said it had become imperative for the government to probe into how poor Fulani herdsmen had been able to acquire expensive AK-47 rifles with which they now commit sundry crimes.
The human rights body said it’s possible the owners of the cattle were the ones supplying the herdsmen with weapons.
“Nigerian People from all parts of the country also need to see these issues through this prism. Given that the average Fulani herdsman cannot afford an AK47 rifle, it should be clear that it is this cow owing clique that is arming the herdsmen as part of their strategy to enforce their will, to get other Nigerians to be responsible for their business expenses,” the statement added.
On the arrest of #OccupyLekki protesters on Saturday, the CDHR said every Nigerian had the right to protest.
It, therefore, demanded the immediate release of all detained persons.