Herdsmen Killings: British lawmakers tackle Buhari; demand president’s crackdown on attackers

President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of ongoing killings linked to herdsmen has drawn heavy concerns from members of the United Kingdom House of Lords.

The senior lawmakers at the upper chamber of the British Parliament said the latest killings in Plateau State have placed Nigeria’s collective existence on the edge, calling on Mr Buhari to take immediate steps to address the crisis rather than paying lip service to random incidents with press statements.

“Despite the herder militia taking more lives during 2015, 2016 and 2017 than Boko Haram, President Buhari, who belongs to the same ethnic group, has been accused of turning a blind eye,” a member, Denis Tunnicliffe, said during a debate on the herdsmen crisis June 28.

“Beyond intermittent verbal condemnations, I cannot see much practical action that has been taken to end the violence, which has emboldened perpetrators even further,” another lawmaker David Alton said while opening the debate.

“Moreover, in the light of such an inadequate response thus far, communities will begin—and indeed already are beginning—to feel that they can no longer rely on government for protection or justice, and a few take matters into their own hands,” Mr Alton added.

The lawmakers debated on a report by the Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which found that 1,061 people were killed in 106 attacks linked to herdsmen between January and April. Read more here

– Premium Times