95% of Fulani Terrorists are Northerners - Akpabio. No they are from Mali- Ali Ndume. Nigerian senators squabble over the 'nationality' of Fulani Terrorists

95% of Fulani Terrorists are Northerners - Akpabio. No they are from Mali- Ali Ndume. Nigerian senators squabble over the 'nationality' of Fulani Terrorists

Nigerian Senators on Thursday squabbled over the nationality of menacing Fulani terrorists rampaging and killing people across Nigeria. While Southern Nigerian senators pointedly said the terrorists are from Northern Nigeria, their Northern colleagues allegde they terrorists are from neighbouring countries. 

The senators were considering a motion on the recent attack on the Nimbo community, Uzo-Uwani, in  Enugu State where hundreds of indigenes were killed.

The motion was raised by Chukwuka Utazi (PDP-Enugu North), whose constituency was attacked on Monday by the Fulani terrorists, resulting in deaths of citizens and destruction of properties including churches.

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Contributing to the debate, the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Olusola Adeyeye, called for a restructuring of the country’s federalism to allow decentralised police system as a way of tackling the ongoing herdsmen violence.

Mr. Adeyeye, an All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator from Osun State, said local and state governments should have police force independent of the federally controlled force “issuing orders from Abuja”.

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Mr. Adedeye said local governments need to become “actual government in its own rights and not appendages of state government to do its local work”.

However, Isa Misau (APC-Bauchi State), in his contribution stated that the rampaging terrorists were not Fulani as they came from neighbouring countries “to attack soft targets”.

Backing the spurious theory postulated by Isa Misau, Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, suspected of sponsoring Boko Haram, said he could not believe the herdsmen were from Mali, adding that the Nigerian Government has a responsibility to ensure security and welfare of citizens.

He said the country had to take “serious and major” steps towards solving these “senseless killings”.

Angered by this, the Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, representing Akwa Ibom, disputed the Northern senators' claim that the rampaging herdsmen are from neighbouring countries, such as Mali and Niger.

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Dismissing the claim as “political statement,” Mr. Akpabio said “95 per cent of them are Nigerians”.

Harping on Mr. Adeyeye’s point, he called for empowerment local vigilante groups.

Adding to the debate, Ben Bruce, from Bayelsa State, expressed fear that there could be reprisals, warning against a time when things could go “awry and out of control”.

As a panacea to the herdsmen-farmers clash, Emmanuel Paulker, from Delta State, encouraged the creation of ranches. “Those who own cattle should have their own ranches,” Mr. Paulker said.

In its resolutions, the Senate condoled with Enugu State and observed one-minute silence in honour of citizens killed.

The Senate resolved to send a delegation to be led by Mr. Ndume to console with the people and make on-the-spot assessment.

It also asked the police to take urgent step to bring the culprits to book.

Additionally, it said its relevant Committees would meet to find lasting solutions to the crisis.