Former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, has denied an allegation by terrorism kingpin, Bello Turji, that his policy ignited banditry in Sokoto and Zamfara states.
Mr Bafarawa stated that banditry or terrorism was not rampant in Sokoto or Zamfara when he left office in 2007 and stated he did not know why the terror kingpin linked him with the atrocities years after leaving office.
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Mr Turji, in a video clip released on Saturday, accused Mr Bafarawa and former Governor of Zamfara State, Ahmad Yerima, of starting the crisis by grabbing grazing reserves and establishing local vigilante groups that alleg8 targetted and killed the Fulanis.
The controversy began when Musa Kamarawa, a nephew of Mr Bafarawa, who also served as an aide to former Governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, accused Mr Matawalle of abetting banditry.
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Mr Kamarawa alleged that Mr Matawalle had links with some terrorists and pampered them.
Mr Kamarawa also claimed that Mr Matawalle donated a house, money and Hilux vehicles to Mr Turji and other terrorists in Zamfara.
Responding to Mr Kamarawa’s claims, Mr Turji alleged in the clip that Mr Kamarawa was being used by political actors in the state to lie against him while covering up alleged crimes perpetrated by his uncle, Mr Bafarawa, whom he didn’t mention by name in the clip.
“If anyone is to be blamed for terrorism, it’s your father, the former governor of Sokoto State, and former Governor of Zamfara State, Ahmad Yerima, who should be arrested, because they are the ones who grabbed and sold the grazing reserves and initiated the local vigilante groups who are killing the Fulani.
“In your home town of Isa Local Government, Sokoto State, one kilometre from your home, there were grazing reserves. It was your father who sold them. There are about five grazing areas in the eastern flank of Isa LGA. They were all grabbed and sold by your father (Mr Bafarawa). These are the people who sowed the discord and fuelled the crisis”, Mr Turji stated.
Mr Kamarawa hails from Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, where banditry and kidnapping for ransom are rampant.
Mr Bafarawa’s response
However, Mr Bafarawa, who ruled Sokoto State between 1999 and 2007, told Vanguard newspaper that he had never supported any form of violence or criminality against anyone or the state.
The former governor said that Mr Turji must be day-dreaming by mentioning his name among terrorism sponsors in Nigeria and wondered why he should be involved in such action almost 20 years after leaving office.
“Where was Bello Turji when I was governor of Sokoto State and how old was he then? I had nothing to do with him and I still have nothing to do with him and his cohorts.
“What do I stand to benefit from banditry or terrorism at my age?
“It is shocking to me that a character like that is spewing pure lies against my name. He is just being used by some forces to lie from the pit of hell against me.
“I remain irrevocably committed to peace and stability of my state and Nigeria and can never venture into anything that can destabilise the society.
“It is absolute rubbish that Turji is talking about and I know that he is only trying to use my name to satisfy the interest of those goading him to make this unfounded claim against me,” the newspaper quoted Mr Bafarawa saying.
Crux of the debate
Grazing reserves are specific areas of land set aside and gazetted for exclusive use for livestock grazing. They were intended to encourage herder settlement and reduce conflicts between them and farmers.
Northern Nigerian pastoralists rely on traditional patterns of seasonal migration along established cattle routes and access to communal or designated grazing reserves.
As alleged by Mr Turji, when these areas are “grabbed” encroached upon, sold, or converted for other uses, the herders are forced onto farmlands, leading to crop damage, loss of livelihood, and violent clashes.
This is a common grievance among herder communities.
For crop farmer, expanding their cultivated land is essential to feed a growing population.
When herders’ cattle encroach on established farms or new settlements (grazing reserves) block traditional grazing paths, it leads to massive economic losses and violence.
The recurrent conflict between nomadic pastoralists (predominantly ethnic Fulani herders) and sedentary crop farmers is one of Nigeria’s most significant internal security challenges.
Over the years, the conflict has intensified, particularly in the North-west, like Sokoto and Zamfara and the largely northern region.
Amnesty International says that failure to bring perpetrators of the conflict to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country.
The right group documented that the conflict has resulted in at least 3,641 deaths in three years.
Over 57 per cent of the 3,641 recorded deaths occurred in 2018. At least 310 attacks were recorded between 5 January 2016 and 5 October 2018.
The attacks were most frequent in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau and Zamfara.
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