The Presidency has blamed the repeated killings in
parts of the country as an attempt by some individuals to create a war in
Nigeria.
Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, stated this on Wednesday in
Abuja during his appearance on Channels Television’s breakfast programme.
He added that while the
herdsmen might have a share in the killings, the nation is being attacked by
some elements of the outlawed Islamic State who sneaked into the country.
“It is very clear that there
is an attempt by some people, within and outside the country, to create a war,”
Shehu said on Sunrise Daily.
“There is intelligence
available that clearly indicates that, yes, there are Fulani herds people who
kill but this country also suffers from attacks by ISIS which has come into the
country and they found a place in the cleavages that divide the country,” he
added.
Several people have lost
their lives since the beginning of the year in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, and
some other states as a result of the series of attacks on their communities.
While many have accused
herdsmen of attacking farmers in the affected states, President Muhammadu
Buhari said the herders-farmers clash is an age-long crisis.
He had also noted that it
would be wrong to make such allegations, blaming the killings on fleeing men
recruited by the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
Speaking about the situation,
Shehu noted that it is the north-central region of the country that is being
affected most by the killings.
He stressed that members of
the Islamic State were taking advantage of the fact that the region is the
‘dividing line’ between the Muslims and the Christians, as well as the northern
and southern parts of the country.
The President’s spokesman
further decried that the terrorists were carrying out massive attacks on
innocent citizens, citing the arrest of a suspected member of the group who
attempted to kill the Muslim deputy governor of Taraba State.
He also recalled the reported
killings of several persons in Benue by wanted criminal suspect Gana, stating
that the Federal Government has gotten to the root of the situation.
On the proactive measure
taken by the government to stop the killings, Shehu said arrests are being made
while people are being declared wanted.
He, however, maintained that
there was a huge mix of criminality linked to the killings while a group of
people was not helping the government in solving the crisis.
The presidential aide said.
“Yes, the Fulani herdsmen who taken to this criminality; there is also the
Islamic State in West Africa factor, and the fact that the opposition political
party seems to be operating from a different country.
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