Indications have emerged Thursday, April 28, 2016 that the Nigerian security apparatus will form a joint operation to combat the militant Fulani Herdsmen who are constituting security threat to parts of the nation, especially the South East and parts of the middle belt.
This is part of the strategies being put in place, according to the acting director of Defense Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, to fight the herdsmen and bring them to a standstill.
Abubakar said the expected operation will not be restricted to only a single service of the Nigerian armed forces, noting that the operation will be similar to the ones formed against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East and Niger Delta militants.
He told journalists that the Nigeria’s armed forces was ready to combat the herdsmen, saying the needed attention will be given to curb the menace.
His response followed the presidential directive that the military should stop the current killings perpetrated by the Fulani herdsmen in the country.
He said each section of the security service, including the soldiers, the navy, the police and others has its roles in quelling crisis and restoring peace to troubled zones. He said besides physical combat, some are involved in giving information and synergizing with relevant stakeholders.
According to him “the current resurgence of this issue of herdsmen is something which must be given a priority now that there is a glaring security threat to lives and property which the Armed Forces and other security agencies cannot close their eyes to.
“All efforts are now on towards ensuring that there is security of lives and property in the general area where such activities of herdsmen are being carried out.
“Just of recent, the President has given us a directive and it is something which we must comply with and in other cases, we deploy our men through operations such as the one against cattle rustling, Operation Sharandaji, which is to ensure that no herdsmen involved in criminal activities are spared.”
