The Defence Headquarters, DHQs, has linked the violent attacks on local communities and the killing of farmers in Plateau, Benue, and other parts of the country to foreign herders.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, stated this on Thursday while fielding questions from journalists on the identities of armed herders attacking farming communities.
Several communities, especially in the Middle Belt, have fallen victim to herdsmen killings in the last few weeks, with many killed and thousands rendered homeless. Responding to journalists on Thursday, Kangye said that even though the Hausa language was spoken in different parts of Africa, it was easy to identify those who are non-Nigerians.
According to him, when you hear them talk in some instances, you will be able to decipher whether these people are from here or not. “Hausa language, like any other language, has different versions and intonations.
“So, the Hausa spoken in Nigeria has differences between the Hausa spoken in Mali, also the Hausa spoken in the Central African Republic, and the Hausa spoken in Ghana. So, when we arrest these herders and terrorists, even the way they speak and appear is clear to see, and even the hair will tell you that this person is not from Nigeria.
“I think the only community in Nigeria that has hair similar to the Shuwa in the Sahel region is probably the Shuwa Arabs in Borno, but they don’t even have the same hair. So, one will also admit that many of those terrorising our people are foreigners, even though some of them are also Nigerians,” he said.
Kangye said that some herders of Nigerian origin also get involved in the process of rearing their cows. He added that some of them often encroach into people’s farms, resulting in conflict between the farmers and the herders.
“But know that most of the violence and incessant killings you are hearing in some parts of this country are perpetrated by mostly those who find their way into the porous borders of our country. But we must as a nation rise up together with other agencies whose responsibility to ensure that those who come into Nigeria are accounted for.
“There are agencies responsible for that, so we have to collaborate, and that is why we say we work within a joint environment to ensure that we address insecurity,” he added.
