Invasion Of The Nomads

The impunity of the nomadic Fulani has reached a dangerous crescendo. The lull following their earlier attacks on their hosts in the lush grass growing areas of the country was, we guess, to rearm and descend upon us again. They have by the recent attacks served notice that they can graze their cattle anywhere they survey. We have by this been sufficiently forewarned.

Unconfirmed reports have it that a young man in Yendi has been killed by the Fulani. The circumstances are yet to be established as the Police are investigating.

The situation is akin to an invasion of course, because our country is hosting unwillingly an unusual number of nomads who do not respect our laws. Woe betides anybody who calls their bluff for their actions. Those who challenged them earlier did not live to tell their stories. That is where we have reached with our killer guests.

In as much we must respect the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of citizens from member countries, we won't be in breach of this if we took a decisive action against nomads who come into our country armed and ready to pull the trigger to kill our compatriots.

This past few weeks have been a de ja vu affair reminding us about how the nomads unleashed a similar reign of terror a few years ago when a joint military/police operation had to be put together to flush them out and to manage the situation.

The bloodshed associated with the Fulani menace does not look like ending any time soon considering its recent resuscitation and the resultant fatalities in the Eastern Region and elsewhere.

There must be a closure to this impunity. Unless we begin to see it as an 'invasion' we would not be able to prescribe an appropriate and effective antidote.

It has lingered for many years now. That we still have not been able to address it suggests a failure of the earlier interventions.

Our borders are porous and we have spoken about that for a long time now. We are definitely not primed to wall our frontiers as Donald Trump plans doing with the US/Mexican border but we can raise the standards of our immigration officers by providing them with the necessary and basic equipment to deal with the 'invasion' somewhat.

The youth in some communities where Fulani have set foot are threatening to confront the aliens and when that happens, the fallouts can be disastrous.

Deploying troops and the Police to parts of the country prone to Fulani invasion is an expensive venture even though for now it is the best option available to us.

Our grasslands provide rare pasture for their cattle and so the Fulanis are ready to engage in duels with anybody who seeks to deny their cattle access to grass. It is for this reason that we must prepare ourselves to deal with the nomads head on.