M-Belt Forum Tells Foreign Herdsmen To Remain In Their Country

The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, yesterday, said Nigeria shouldn’t be an open door for foreign herdsmen whose entrance into the country was source of agonies and pains to most Nigerians.

National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Porgu, stated this while hailing the call by Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom on the Federal Government to close Nigerian borders against foreign herdsmen who were largely responsible for attacks on farmers in the country.

Dr. Porgu, who said all borders must be closed against foreign Fulani herders, noted that they were responsible for all the killings of innocent people in the region and other parts of the country.

According to him, “Our position has always been the same. Nigeria shouldn’t be an open door for one particular ethnic group for whatever. That is why we always say it is occupation and change of demography.

“So, in the long run, our refusal of RUGA, Cattle Colonies and this National Livestock Transformation Plan, NLTP, because it allows all Fulani around West Africa to occupy and central land and therefore forcing them on us as Nigerian.

“Today, they are talking about community policing etc, and who are the community?  Our people have been driven away out of their ancestral land, killed, and foreign Fulani are occupying these land.

“Now, they are who, the locals in those places. So, they constitute the community. It is not acceptable. Our people cannot be in IDPs camps when foreign Fulani and whoever is occupying our land in Nigeria.

“It doesn’t happen. So, whatever Governor Samuel Ortom said, is correct. Let me add, the solution to our problem is not creating of National Livestock Transformation Plan, RUGA or concentration camp or whatever.  It is ranching. Let Fulani be accorded land that they will rear their cattle and not move around.

“I want to give example of nomadic in Borno, who don’t leave Borno and Yobe States. The Shua Arab and  the Kwaia. So, we have our local nomads who are not moving around, they are already practicing ranching .the Fulani of Nigeria is practicing ranching and Fulani of other countries should stay in their country and let their governments solve their problem for them.”