The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Wednesday, threw its weights behind former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, retd, and former military governor of old Rivers State, Gen. Zamani Lekwot, retd, over their recent written submission to the United Kingdom Parliament on the ongoing killings across communities of the Middle Belt and other parts of Nigeria.
General Danjuma and Lekwot were among notable members of Nigerian Christian Elders’ Forum, NCEF, who petitioned the Parliament over ongoing agenda of ‘Islamisation and Fulanisation’ as evident by heinous genocide being perpetrated by herdsmen and terrorists across the Middle Belt and other parts of the country
National President of MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu, who stated this while reacting to a statement credited to a group, the Middle Belt Conscience Guard, MBCG.
He said: “The attention of the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has been drawn to a statement credited to an amorphous group that calls itself the Middle Belt Conscience Guard, MBCG.
“In its publication, the said group did not hide its desperate intention to rubbish the former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, retd, former military governor of old Rivers state, Gen. Zamani Lekwot, retd, among other notable members of the Nigerian Christian Elders’ Forum, NCEF, over their written submission to the United Kingdom Parliament on the ongoing killings across communities of the Middle Belt and other parts of Nigeria.
“In its press statement purportedly signed by its president, Prince Raymond Enejo, the group chided the NCEF for its publication in which it accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of brazenly pursuing an agenda of ‘Islamisation and Fulanisation’ in the country.
”In its submission, the so-called group, led by Enejo; claimed that the NCEF’s statement amounted to a deliberate act of provocation against the country, aimed at encouraging Christians and Middle Belters to rise against the present government.
“Ordinarily, our Forum would not have bothered to respond to a publication that is baseless and outrightly mischievous. We are, however, constrained to observe that as an umbrella body for all groups in the Middle Belt Region, we are totally unaware of the existence of this Middle Belt Conscience Guard.
“Our Forum, being a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural and non-partisan organisation, is obliged to respond and clarified on issues raised by the conscience group that is out to mislead members of the public.
“Though we believe that the NCEF is capable of responding to all accusations raised against it by the group, we need not be its mouth piece. However, for the mere fact that two illustrious sons of the Middle Belt Region, who are also members of the NCEF were deliberately and mischievously targeted for attack, this response has become unavoidably necessary.
“The Forum considers the position of the so-called conscience group as a deliberate falsehood that is aimed at misleading the unsuspecting public through foisting diversionary plot to draw the attention of the public away from the heinous genocide being perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen and terrorists across the Middle Belt and other parts of the country in pursuit of the ‘Fulanisation’ agenda as earlier raised in the NCEF’s submission and observed also by other notable persons and groups.
“Considering the inordinate reaction of the group to the position of the NCEF, it is either the conscience group is non-existent or may be just a mercenary group hired by its paymasters who are the real sponsors of the heinous pogrom in our communities and ‘Fulanisation’ agenda in the country.
“The Forum wishes to align itself completely with the position of the NCEF over the ceaseless bloodshed that is deliberately founded on the orchestrated plans by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to annihilate and dispossess the peoples of the Middle Belt and Southern Nigerians of their ancestral lands and hand over same to marauding Fulani herdsmen terrorists. This plan to subjugate and conquer our people and Southern Nigeria will be vehemently resisted.
“As categorically declared by the NCEF, current attempts at implementing the ‘Fulanisation’ agenda enjoys the active support of the Buhari-led government. There are many proofs to back up the NCEF’s assertion that there is collusion between herdsmen and the Federal Government in advancing this campaign.
“In the past four years of the Buhari administration, tens of thousands of Nigerians have been decimated, with several thousand killed on account of Fulani herdsmen terrorist invasion of peaceful communities across the country. Despite the troubling death toll, none of the culprits has been arrested or brought to book.
“While attention of the present government is being focused on combating the dread of Boko Haram in the North-east zone, the present administration has been demonstrating fudging attempts at battling rampaging Fulani terrorists whose bloodthirsty disposition has brought devastation and anguish on our people.
“For avoidance of doubt, we wish to inform Nigerians and the international community that the Middle Belt peoples are now victims of a conspiracy to subjugate them and disinherit them of their ancestral lands.
“We are calling on men and women of good conscience to spare no efforts in exposing the ongoing heinous crimes against humanity in a bid to unveil the dark spot of human conscience surrounding the massacres of Nigerians and destruction of communities in the Middle Belt Region and other parts of the country.
“The Forum has confidence that history and God is on the side of the just. We remain steadfastly confident that someday, we shall witness an end to these tragedies that have befallen the Middle Belt Region and our nation,” he said.
