‘Fulani Must Go’ protest rocks Edo State
Women have hit the streets of Edo State to demand the expulsion of Fulani herdsmen and settlers.
The women, on Wednesday, blocked roads in Uromi area of the state to press home their demands.
The protesters accused Fulani herdsmen and settlers of rape, vandalism, kidnapping and murder.
Similar accusations have been labelled against members of the ethnic group in other parts of Nigeria’s south.
President Muhammadu Buhari is being blamed for treating the matter with levity.
In the South-East, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) launched a militia, Eastern Security Network (ESN), to tackle what it called the menace of “killer Fulani herdsmen”.
The Nnamdi-Kanu-led group, which has been banned by the Buhari government, vowed to “unleash madness” on the herdsmen if attacks continue.
In the South-West, Sunday Igboho and his supporters are moving state-to-state, issuing quit notices to Fulani settlers whom they accuse of criminality.
The Buhari government has condemned the move, calling it unconstitutional. State governors are pleading with communities to allow the police handle alleged crimes.
Due to the impact of climate change, Fulani herdsmen have been moving their cows down south where the grass remains green, observers say. But they vandalise farms in bids to feed their cattle, farmers allege. They also attack and kill farmers who kill trespassing cows, it is alleged.
Moves to create cattle colonies across Nigeria is being resisted by locals who point to the herders’ history of bloodshed.
