President Muhammadu Buhari, on
Friday, reacted to reports of the UN rapporteur on violence in Nigeria.
Garba Shehu, his spokesman, in a
statement, said while the presidency agrees that the violence in Nigeria, or in
any country, is a major concern and that there is a rippling effect, it was
disappointed that the rapporteur was silent on intra-group violence.
He said: “In Benue, Taraba, Cross
River States and many parts of the country, most of the casualties result from
intra-group, inter-group and community violence. Many of the displaced persons
across the nation are also victims of these conflicts.
“There is absolutely no doubt
that violence between farmers and herders, which has a long history in our
country spiked in recent years but the effectiveness with which the Federal and
State authorities responded made a big difference. Calm has virtually returned
to all parts affected by the peculiar violence.
“Therefore, we are saddened that
the rapporteur did not address intra-ethnic conflicts and cattle rustling as
key elements in herder/farmer conflicts. In Benue State for instance, the
Tiv/Jukun conflict and kidnapping is a major problem. We are glad that local
communities have fully realized this, and scholars with a strong motivation for
peace and stability in their communities and the nation are trying to address
the problem.
“Ignoring the salient issues will
not help to solve the problem. If you are going to address violence and the
general insecurity in Nigeria, incidents everywhere should be part of the
narrative. Not addressing this might make it easier to blame the Federal
Government, but national peace and security is community based and a collective
responsibility.
“Arrests, prosecution and locking
people up are only small parts of National Security and Safety strategy.
“In Benue State as cited earlier,
the work of a US scholar of Tiv extraction, Professor Dick Adzenge deserves
special mention for attempting to get aspects of violence addressed. The
expectation that arresting and putting people in prison is the only credible
response to violence is a mistake. Professor Adzenge and a few others like him
are working with young people, traditional rulers and communities to seek
peaceful resolution of conflicts and encourage peaceful co-existence.
“The sort of effort we are
talking about here has so far revealed interesting facts about the problem in
Benue State that cannot be ignored.
“And it is the sort of support we
seek from the UN rapporteur in reporting, not the report that scratches the
surface of the subject then ends up blaming the government under the able
leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. The UN representative needs to be
truthful and even-handed in her assignment.”
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