By Joy Odor
A group, the Fulbe Global Development and Rights Initiative (FGDRI) has has demanded for justice from the federal government over the killing of pastoralists in Kaduna and Taraba states, saying it is a prelude to genocide.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday and, signed by the President-General of FGDRI, Salim Musa Umar, said there is need for urgent intervention by government to save the situation.
The statement reads: “In the last few days, the media is flooded with images of innocent Fulbe pastoralists butchered and maimed in Taraba and Kaduna states. The Fulbe Global Development and Rights Initiative (FGDRI) is distressed by these rampant pogroms, especially the most recent ones that took place at Bali in Taraba and BirninGwari in Kaduna states.
“In Bali local council, unsuspecting pastoralists were lured into a deceptive meeting by an armed vigilante group, but ended up being defenselessly attacked and mercilessly massacred by these criminals masquerading as community vigilante group” the statement noted.
According to him, twelve (12) pastoralists were shot dead and many sustained life threatening injuries by these AK47-wielding armed criminals.
“Sadly, this terror occurred barely four days after two pastoralists were forcefully snatched from the police and lynched in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State.
“It is frightening to observe that the current killings are not isolated incidences. They are only examples of years of sustained pattern of elimination, annihilation and ethnic cleansing of Fulbe herding communities in various states of the federation” he said.
“Recall that over a thousand Fulbe pastoralists were massacred in Mambilla in 2017 in the same Taraba state, while hundreds of women and children were butchered in 2018 in Numan, Adamawa state, all without punitive measures taken by the authorities.
