BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has warned that the conflict between herders and farmers across the country could degenerate into a civil war if not quickly checked.
Prof Soyinka, who gave the warning in an interview with the BBC, noted that even though the situation is getting out of hand and almost late now having festered for too long, it could still salvaged and managed.
He assured that he is ready to contribute to the process of resolving the conflict even as he lamented that his dignity and those of others were being rubbished.
According to him; “President Muhammadu Buhari should address the nation in stern, unambiguous terms that, as a patron of cattle rearers, he ran his business on tidy business plans and not by kidnapping, killing and raping of Nigerians, otherwise I will consider him complicit in the farmers-herders crisis.
Soyinka while commending the moves to resolve the lingering conflict, further said; “My fear is that it may degenerate into violence that ends up in—I hate to use the word—a civil war unless we take action.
“I’m glad that governors are already dialoguing with groups like Miyetti Allah (cattle breeders).”
Herders-Farmers conflict? This is gross insult to the thousands of citizens farmers,traders,commuters and generally peaceful people killed in cold blood by Fulani terrorists all across Nigeria. Why do we dress terrorism in the garb of conflict? Which conflict? Which herders? Who are the herders? How can anyone call AK47 wielding terrorists killing,raping,maiming ,burning human beings and properties herders? How can we talk of any conflict when peaceful people without any dispute are killed in their homes ,farms and on the road without a cause. Since when did we get to the point where respected elders and wordsmiths have lost their testicular fortitude and the courage of their convictions as to call AK47 tubers of yams? What is happening in Nigeria is pure terrorism . by blood thirsty Fulanis. What is happening is religious and ethnic cleansing. There is nothing like farmers-herders conflict. It is even wrong to keep addressing the terrorists as “herders” rather than ”Fulani terrorists”