31st January, 2018
Right Without Violence, a non-governmental organisation, has called on the Federal Government to take measures to address the lingering herdsmen/farmers clashes to avoid further bloodshed.
The Coordinator of the group, Dr Ahmed Jibril-Suleiman, made the call at a news conference in Zaria on Wednesday.
Right Without Violence is a group of volunteer legal practitioners seeking to protect the fundamental rights of all citizens.
Jibril-Suleiman stressed that every Nigerian had the right to live wherever they chose.
“We should not allow Nigeria to be like Rwanda, Burundi or Liberia, where the issue of ethnicity has thrown them into a prolonged crisis,’’ he said.
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The coordinator described the enactment of anti-grazing law by Benue and Taraba States as dangerous and a total violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Jibril-Suleiman noted that many innocent people had been killed as a result of the recurring farmers-herdsmen clashes.
He also said that no state should be allowed to train militias under any pretext, as that could pose serious threat to national security and unity.
“The report of 1,000 armed militia, supposedly trained to enforce the so-called anti-grazing law should be investigated and dealt with decisively.
“Government must set up a special task force to investigate the killing of innocent Nigerians.
“The investigation should start from Zangon-Kataf, to Tafawa Balewa, Yelwan Shendam, Ibbi, Wukari and Mambila,’’ he added.