Afenifere Cannot Ban Movement of Fulani Herdsmen – Shehu Sani

Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani has said that no one can ban the movement of Fulani herdsmen because such restriction will amount to violation of fundamental human rights.

Sani in an interview with Saturday Punch insisted that Fulani Herdsmen have the right to move to any state and no group can restrict them from moving around.

After the kidnap of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae by alleged Fulani Herdsmen, Yoruba group, Afenifere warned Fulani herdsmen to restrict their grazing activities to the north.

Sani said “It is not possible to do that because that would amount to a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens. Our constitution guarantees us the rights to freedom of movement. Any Nigerian can move to wherever he wants to move to.

“You cannot in any way restrict an ethnic group from going to another place. Fulani have the right to move to any state within the federation and no group can restrict them from moving anywhere. The bond of solidarity that exists even between the Fulani and the Yoruba dates back to centuries and this cannot be broken because of the activities of very few who have taken to criminality.

“What we should understand is that Fulani cattle rearers have also been having problems with the Hausa people in the North. So it is not only with the Yoruba. But that doesn’t mean that you should prevent them from moving their cattle to the South West, rather, we should find a solution to the problem that had led to these clashes.

“The Afenifere is an organisation that is made up of intellectuals and people who know the history of this country very well. So, it is very wrong for anybody to ban anyone from moving to any part of the country, it would lead to chaos and disorder and as a senator, I am certainly going to work towards a bill that would address this very problem that the Fulani are being blamed for.”

Sani advocated for a National Grazing Policy that will regulate the movement of Fulani herdsmen.

He said “First, there is need to have a National Grazing Land Policy, whereby grazing lands will be preserved and protected for Fulani. When they are moving from Sokoto to Oyo, they should be moving through a certain route and end up at a certain destination and not just move everywhere. There should be a road map and a chart for the movement of Fulani.

“There is the need also, for Fulani to be encouraged to use modern technology in terms of tracking the movement of their cattle and also to be able to communicate with other Fulani who are from other areas, they should also be able to use the modern technology to communicate with the government. There should be something like traffic control similar to the way aeroplanes move.

“This will help very much in terms of assuaging this problem.”