PDP Want Buhari To End Attacks By Herdsmen

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the All Progressive Congress (APC) lead government of Muhammadu Buhari to go beyond rhetoric in safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians. The party made this in a statement, Thursday morning, in view of the recent headmen attacks in Adamawa and Benue where about eight persons were feared dead and many injured. The PDP said that the Federal Government should ‘take urgent action to ensure the immediate stoppage of herdsmen’s mindless acts of violence and ensure the protection of all the rights of the communities.’ The PDP also commended the move by the Ministries of Agriculture & Interior as well as the NSCDC in setting up a committee to come up with modalities to bring these attacks to an end. 

The statement read thus

 ”We have heard reports of fresh attacks on villages in Adamawa & Benue States by unidentified herdsmen with growing concern over the lives & safety of Nigerians. According to the reports, these attacks left a combined casualty figure of 8 people with several people injured and property worth millions of Naira destroyed. These figures brings the total number of Nigerians killed in such attacks to well over 1000 in 2016 alone. While these sorts of attacks have occurred in Nigeria over the years, there has been a visible rise in the frequency & savagery of these attacks in recent times. We commend the move by the Ministries of Agriculture & Interior as well as the NSCDC, however late, to set up a committee to come up with modalities to bring these attacks to an end. However, we are concerned that the terms of reference of the committee as reported by various news agencies placed more premium on the protection of “investors & their investment” than on the protection of Nigerians who have been the victims of such attacks. We are also worried that the terms of reference do not include any investigation into the proliferation of arms and assault weapons in the North Central region of the country. We urge the FG to include as part of the investigation We also urge the FG to expand the composition of the committee to include representatives from some of the communities most affected by these attacks as well as representatives of cattle rearers’ associations Finally, we urge the FG to move beyond rhetoric & take urgent action to ensure the immediate cessation of these mindless acts of violence We also urge the FG to ensure the protection of all the rights of the communities affected by these acts of violence.”