Following the attack of Tombo – Mbalagh, a community in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State by herdsmen, penultimate weekend, the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, ordered the exit of Fulani herdsmen from the affected communities within 48 hours. He said the herdsmen must leave since they were not welcomed by the unarmed inhabitants of the area.
The governor made it clear that the armed herdsmen were not above the law. So they must be tracked, arrested and prosecuted according to the law.
Meanwhile, the Senate, while addressing some protesters from Benue and Nasarawa States who were at the National Assembly to protest the incessant attacks by herdsmen on their communities, repeated the usual rhetoric we have heard for many years.
Senator George Sekibo who represented the Senate President said,  The Senate had received three bills in respect of the menace and was doing its best to ensure that herdsmen are provided with a reserved area that would be meant for grazing. He pledged the commitment of both chambers of the  National Assembly to work relentlessly in providing a lasting solution to the massacre not only in Benue but the entire nation.
The question is, which of these two approaches can bring a permanent solution to the problem? Should the herdsmen be made to leave the communities where they have been killing, maiming, kidnapping people and rapping women in their own land and destroying their means of livelihood or we should continue to treat them like untouchables while they carry on with  impunity?
The truth is that  Benue State has had her fair share of herdsmen’s trouble and anyone in Ortom’s shoes would probably react the way he did. Many communities like Agatu were destroyed, their farmlands razed down and many people killed. After each attack, agreements would be reached on how the parties involved would co-exist.  Sadly, this has not yielded the desired result as the herdsmen continue to carry out their dastardly acts.
For several years other parts of the country, notably the South East, South West and South South have also had their share of the brutal attack of the herdsmen who would not spare any community that  questions the destruction of their farmlands and crops by their cattle.
The loss of lives and massive destruction of property that usually attend the attacks are indications of how heavily armed the cattle rearers are. From a group of stick – wielding pastoralists, living essentially normadic life, the Fulani herdsmen have metamorphosed into arms bearing fighting force.
Why both current and past governments have not taken any concrete action to stop this barbaric act is still a puzzle to many.
Of course, the Presidency would always  order an investigation into a massacre,  the National Assembly would equally assure the nation to look into the matter, but what has been the outcome of these?  Has anybody ever been made to account for their deadly acts?
No doubt, the failure to address this problem all these  years has emboldened the herdsmen to carry on with the   trampling on the rights of other Nigerians with impunity.
So, as many distinguished Nigerians have suggested, it is high time the Federal Government took a decisive action to put an end to the atrocities being committed by the herdsmen. Nobody should be above the law no matter their social class, religious or ethnic leaning.
There is no way we can prevent the re-occurrence of the inhuman act if the marauders are not arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Already, there are various dangerous interpretations to government’s inability to tackle the problem. This is the time for President  Muhammadu Buhari to dispel all doubts about his position on the matter by taking all necessary steps to ensure the carnage does not happen again.
If it will take the exit of the cattle rearers and their cattle to stop the destruction of painstakingly cultivated farmlands and make the people feel secure in their land, so be it. Government should give the citizens reasons to believe that  their lives are valued and must be protected.
Similarly, the recent resolution passed by the House of Representatives calling on President Buhari to order the immediate disarmament of armed and strange herdsmen in different parts of the country should be seriously considered.  The country is already facing a big security battle, no thanks to Boko Haram insurgent group in the North and militant and cult groups in the South.
Most importantly, Nigeria should learn from the developed countries that keep their animals in ranches. Therefore, government at all levels, as well as cattle owners who make money from this business, should join hands in establishing ranches and grazing reserves across the country.
At this critical time when people are being encouraged to go into farming to ensure availability of food in the country and to curtail food importation, herdsmen should not be allowed to throw spanner into that initiative. What Nigeria needs at this crucial time is peaceful co-existence and things that would grow our economy.
Most importantly, peaceful co-existence must be encouraged and promoted among farmers and herdsmen and people of all tribes and religions as we obviously need each other.

Calista Ezeaku