The alleged proliferation of 425 Fulani herdsmen settlements in South West including Kwara and Kogi and South East Regions is seen as an attempt by the Fulani to conquer the Southern part of the country.
Professor Banji Akintoye, a Second Republic Senator and Maj. Gen. Collins Ihekire, (retd), former chairman, Task Force on Illegal Importation and Smuggling of Goods, Small Arms, Ammunitions and Light Weapons (NATFORCE), who raised alarm over the proliferation of herdsmen in the South West and South East states said such pose security risk.
They spoke this in Lagos weekend at the 1st National Colloquium tagged: ‘Herdsmen, threat to national security’ organised by The Ife 12.
Akintoye, in his presentation, said that there are 175 herdsmen settlements in the South West including Kwara and Kogi speaking areas warning that no Yoruba land will be overrun by herdsmen.
The Professor of History, said: “The leadership of Afenifere has been receiving complaints from our people in the farmlands of our how the Fulani have been setting up camps around their farmlands. Afenifere now set up a committee, which I headed, to investigate.
“The outcome of the research revealed that there are 175 Fulani settlements including Kwara and Kogi areas of Yorubaland and every one of those settlements portend danger to Yorubaland.
Don’t be surprised that each time these Fulani settlers have any complaint with their host; it will lead to confrontations and eventually crisis. Our land is not going to be over-run by the Fulani.”
While he called on the youths to be supportive of the Southern and Middle belt Leaders Forum, he said this will prevent the possible invasion of the southern regions.
Akintoye said: “The plan of these people is to face the south after the Middle belt has been overrun but before the Middle belt is over run, we in the south must find a way of supporting them. The youths of the Middle belt and South must support the Southern and MiddleBelt Leaders Forum to make it a force to reckon with.”
Another speaker at the colloquium, Maj. Gen. Ihekire alleged that there is an orchestrated plan to fulanise Nigeria, saying there are 250 herdsmen settlements in the South East.
While he faulted the excuse given by the herdsmen to migration, he maintained that there is an attempt to conquer some regions.
Ihekire said: “Today, people do not know that there is an orchestrated plan to Fulanise Nigeria. What we are dealing with is neither herdsmen nor religion but I want to tell you that both cows and herdsmen have become facilitators to an agenda. What we are facing now is a Fulani conquest; today, there is an attempt by the Fulani and Kanuri to reclaim this country.”
According to him, “We are back to ancient times where people take land by conquest. We talk of grazing but the Fulani herdsman does not hear that cattle grazing is a private business. They have refused to change their way of cattle rearing.
The professor said there are 175 Fulani settlements in Yorubaland but in the South East, there 250 Fulani settlements there. For me, we have to be sure that what we are dealing with is cows grazing and not herdsmen.”
