CITIZENS, including activists, have fingered some royal fathers in Delta State and vigilante members for entangling themselves with Fulani herdsmen-kidnappers allegedly because of lust and greed, calling on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to bring them to order.

The residents who voluntarily engaged in measures to stop kidnapping in their communities in the past few months, said their findings showed that some Fulani herdsmen gave money and cow gifts to some traditional rulers to stay in the forests belonging to their communities. The monarchs kept the plot to themselves.

However, NDV learned that the governor, who had taken bold measures to checkmate criminals in the state, is mapping out a holistic strategy to tackle kidnapping.

The state House of Assembly held a public hearing last week to rejig the Delta State Community Security Corps Agency law to bolster community policing and validate the provision of working tools, welfare packages, and other statutory requirements for the agency.

A rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, however, said that the Security Corps Bill has been politicized, with elected House of Assembly members, elected local government chairmen, and community leaders authorised to nominate individuals for screening to become members of the Security Corps (Vigilante).

“If we permit them to nominate, they may exploit this authority for their selfish interests in the future. Regrettably, the bill has already been politicized.

“We like the bill, we want it passed and signed by the governor, but we do not want politicians to nominate the people who will guard our communities. Tomorrow, they will use them for their selfish interest. Let us not politicize security in our state,” he said.

Despite the discontent over their escapades, the suspected money-making kidnappers continued their operations, abducting a man in Ibusa community in Oshimili North Local Government Area, and two other victims in Iselle-Uku community and Abavo community, Ika South Local Government Area, last weekend.


GOVERNMENT SHOULD DEAL WITH CULPABLE MONARCHS—RESIDENTS

A source NDV: “Sometimes, the traditional rulers divulge the arrangement with Fulani herdsmen to only loyal community leaders who would not question their actions and trusted/appointed vigilante leaders that coordinate with the Fulani herdsmen in the forest.

“We also discovered that over time, the criminally-minded herdsmen, armed with AK-47 rifles, would infiltrate the genuine herdsmen in the forests where they had built camps and use them as cover to abduct indigenes, travellers, and other inhabitants for ransom.

Even worse, some alleged vigilantes and money-hungry community youths collaborate with kidnappers as informants to kidnap their people and receive their portion of the ransom.

The Fulani herdsmen are not the only ones involved; some of our people collaborate with them, and our traditional leaders, who granted them land to live in the bush, are also contributing to the kidnapping by their actions.

To prevent surrendering the Delta Community Security Corps Agency to vigilante members and corrupt traditional rulers, the state government and the House of Assembly should exercise caution when considering their proposals to amend the legislation.

“The Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies should conduct a thorough screening process, and the government must be aware of the traditional rulers’ character before allowing them to recommend anyone or participate in the agency,” the source continued.

“Some Fulani herdsmen admitted that they provided cash and cows to the monarchs,” an activist told NDV. According to one: “If you see a Fulani stay there for three to five months without leaving; they have given the traditional ruler money.” They do not wish to depart because of this.

“We give money to your traditional leaders, but some villagers may not be aware of this, which is why they bother us. They accuse us of going about in a bush that is not ours. Look, ask your traditional rulers; we paid for it.

“Stop claiming that we stay in your bush without paying; that is incorrect. We are paying, I assure you.

“Part of the reason the accomplice-monarchs are involved is that, besides the money they collect, they ask the herdsmen to help them shepherd the cows they used to bribe them, and if the herdsmen are chased away from the community forest, they will lose the cows.

“Recently, the Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, suspended some monarchs in the state because of their involvement in kidnapping; our governor, Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, should do the same to send a message to the traditional rulers,” he added.

A villager, Modest Ejiejemba, said: “We already know that the government had set up a joint security team to comb bushes and destroy the illegal hideouts and camps of the terrorists lurking in our bushes under the guise of herdsmen, which is a good development, but no action has started yet in Aniocha North and Aniocha South local government areas, where the pact was signed.”

Because of their dishonest motives, the governor of Delta State ought to prevent the traditional rulers and community leaders from giving Fulani herdsmen access to land in our forests. And if they don’t band together and stop this act, the people will rebel against our traditional rulers.

“The mockery goes on because the state government has not punished any monarch since this revelation about traditional rulers plotting with Fulani herdsmen,” Ndubuisi Uwaje, a villager, told NDV.



MONARCHS MAKING MONEY FROM FULANI HERDSMEN —Police boss

NDV established that the question of some traditional rulers collecting money and cow gifts from Fulani herdsmen to allow access into their communities’ forests is not in doubt.






(NDV)