Herdsmen Terrorism: About 92 Armed Fulani Herdsmen Were Arrested in Abuja - Army

Illegal possession of arms is prohibited by Nigerian government, but some group of people have vowed to die perpetrating and defying laws.About 92 Fulani Herdsmen were arrested in Abuja,the capital of Nigeria for illegal possession of arms.
         The soldiers of the Guards Brigade
of the Nigeria Army have arrested
92 Fulani herdsmen in Abuja.
The Assistant Director, Army Public
Relations of the Guards Brigade,
Capt. Bashir Jajira, said that 36 of
the suspects were arrested by the
troops at a military checkpoint
between the Federal Capital
Territory and Nasarawa State.
The suspected herdsmen were said
to have told the soldiers that they
were on a mission to recover their
stolen cows.
He said that 56 others who were
also armed were arrested by the
soldiers at a military checkpoint at
Dantata, along the Abuja Airport
Road.
He said that the troops recovered
‘one pump action gun, 19 cartridge
dane guns, 118 cartridge ammo, 28
cutlasses, 3 jack knives, 14 sticks, 7
torch lights, certificate of
occupancy, assorted charms and
hard drugs.’
He said, “A group of 36 herdsmen
in Diana Truck and Toyota Camry
car with registration number Abu
Kuje 994 FX and Niger SUL 541 XA
were intercepted and arrested at
177 Guards Battalion location by
Keffi checkpoint.
“During the interrogation by troops
at the checkpoint, they claimed to
be going to Nasarawa Local
Government in Nasarawa State.”
He said that the arrested herdsmen
would be handed over to the police
for prosecution.
This came just as President
Muhammadu Buhari has ordered
the deployment of military to all
parts of the country currently
witnessing bloody clashes between
herdsmen and farmers.
The Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu, disclosed this.
Shehu said there was no truth in
the claim that Buhari had been
largely silent on the issue of the
clashes.
He recalled that the President had
taken the issue before the National
Council of State with a view to
getting state governors’ inputs to
the solutions.
In the meantime, he said the
government was contemplating
carving out of grazing reserves for
cattle rearers.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 23,000
Internally Displaced Persons in the
Agatu Local Government Area of
Benue State are battling with the
problem of shelter as the rains set
in.
The Chairman, Caretaker
Committee, Agatu Local
Government Area, Mr. Joseph
Ngbede, stated this on Monday
when Governor Samuel Ortom
visited Ugbokpo, Ojantele and
Ataganyi communities of the Apa
Local Government Area, where the
camps of the IDPs are located.
The IDPs are Benue indigenes
displaced during the clashes
involving Fulani herdsmen and
Agatu people.
Ngbede said that only the LGEA
Primary School at Ayila was
standing in the over 20 villages
destroyed in Agatu by herdsmen,
maintaining that some of the
displaced persons insisted on going
to their farms to see what was left
of their crops.
On the feeding of the displaced
persons, the chairman said the
items donated by individuals,
government and non-governmental
organisations as well as emergency
management agencies at the state
and at federal levels were being
distributed to them on a daily basis.
He said those not displaced were
also contributing towards the
upkeep of the IDPs.
He explained that the three villages
of Ocholonya, Abugbe and
Odugbeho that were occupied by
herdsmen had been secured by
soldiers.
 Meanwhile, the state’s deputy
governor, Benson Abounu, has said
that Agatu people have been
rescued by soldiers.