Foreign herdsmen killing Nigerians

The House of Representatives has warned the Federal Government about the nefarious activities of herdsmen from other African nations.

The lower chamber urged the Federal Government to stop the inflow of the foreign herdsmen into Nigeria, saying they were responsible for the killing and kidnapping spree blamed on local herdsmen in the country in recent times.

This is as it mandated the Committees on Police Affairs, Army and Interior to interface with the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) respectively on the best ways of policing and securing the Nigeria borders.

Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu had moved a motion titled: “Need to stop the entry of herdsmen from other African countries into Nigeria”.

He noted that some herdsmen have been going on rampage, destroying farmlands, burning villages, and killing innocent Nigerians.

Elumelu added that security agencies have always maintained that the herdsmen responsible were not Nigerians but migrants from other African nations.

He said he was “concerned that those herdsmen who are militant in nature have consistently instilled fear in lives of local farmers and villagers living in the affected areas by the use of coercion, intimidation, brute force and extreme violence, in most cases, leaving a large number of persons dead.”

The minority leader noted that clashes between the nomadic herdsmen from other African nations and local farmers have hit dangerous proportions and must be stopped to prevent an escalation of security challenges bedevilling the nation.

Majority members of the House passed the motion when Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila put it to a voice vote.