President Muhammadu Buhari says human live is increasingly becoming cheap in Nigeria as desperate politicians “pursue their quest for instability and chaos”.
Buhari said this reaction to the mass killing suspected to be carried out by herdsmen in Plateau state.
In a statement by Garba Shehu, his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Buhari said he is aware that other than geographical factors, politicians are taking advantage of the situation.
“We know that a number of geographical and economic factors are contributing to the longstanding herdsmen/farmers clashes. But we also know that politicians are taking advantage of the situation. This is incredibly unfortunate,” Buhari said.
“Nigerians affected by the herdsmen/ farmer clashes must always allow the due process of the law to take its course rather than taking matters into their own hands.”
The statement added that according to information available to the presidency, about 100 cattle had been rustled by a community in Plateau while some herdsmen were killed in the process.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) described the attacks as an act of retaliation.
The association said 300 cows belonging to herdsmen were rustled, adding that no one should expect peace since the cattle were not found.
Meanwhile, Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, has accused the opposition of sponsoring the widespread killings in the country.
Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, Adesina said the president’s enemies resorted to the “bestial act” to discredit his scorecard on security.
He said the killings were being instigated to weaken the incumbent government.
Adesina said security agencies were investigating those behind the killings, adding that they will be dealt with once they are identified.
“You have the true herders and farmers who are clashing and you have hidden hostile hands who have crept in under that umbrella to play what the president has described as irresponsible politics,” he said.
“This farmers/herders’ clash has been going on for a long time. When I say long time, I mean far long before this administration.
“Like the president said, the issue is even older than anybody living today. What you have today are being sponsored because they know security is one of the strongest points of the administration.
“The president said so in a national broadcast. He also said the security agencies are investigating and has warned that once they are identified, they will be dealt with.
“The intention of the opposition in any democracy is to weaken the incumbent as much as possible and the opposition in Nigeria has identified security as one of the strong points of the Buhari administration. So they decided to go to that area finding the soft under belly and stick a knife into it.”
