BY MUSA SIMON REEF, ABUJA – Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Ishaya Bamaiyi, has described the present level of suffering in Nigeria as the major cause of attacks by suspected herdsmen on some parts of the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of the recently concluded 1st General Assembly of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) that took place in Abuja, the former COAS said the continued bloodshed caused by these herdsmen attacks has been as a result of government’s inability to rein in these criminals who are threatening the corporate existence of the country.
“These so-called herdsmen that they talk about, we have lived with them in the past and there was no problem. Certainly, these ones we are living with are not the ones killing us. Some criminals are hiding under the cover of herdsmen to unleash terror on our communities.
There is so much hunger in the land and people are prone to be used to perpetrate all forms of violence. It is the responsibility of the government to get to the roots of the problems and pull us out of our present gloom as a country. People are hungry and the government should be fast to provide succor for the people.
“Only the government can tackle the current insecurity caused by these attacks, as well as cushion the effects of sufferings being experienced by the citizens. As long as there is suffering in the land, so long will criminals take advantage of the situation to unleash mayhem on communities at the slightest provocation.
“I expect the nation’s security agencies to work in harmony and evolve measures to resolve these attacks. Also, the government should move fast and provide reliefs to the poor who are mostly at the receiving end of these economic hardships. Our borders that have served as open gates for undesirable element foreign elements should be monitored strictly in order to control influx of foreigners into our country,” said the retired military boss.
On current efforts by the Vienna-based KAICIID International Dialogue Centre, in conjunction with IDFP, to promote interfaith dialogue and peace in the country, the former army chief called on all religious and community leaders to work for peace and embrace dialogue. He warned against any forms of attacks, and called on Nigerians to always speak with one voice against such attacks.
“What we need now is peaceful approach in resolving conflicts. Both Christian and Muslim leaders should work and preach peace to their followers. We must eschew any form of violence and work towards embracing peace. We should be seen to be practicing what we are preaching. That is the only way we can achieve the desired peace in Nigeria,” he said.
