A coalition of self-determination organisations led by the United Indigenous People of African Foundation, based in the United States of America, has called on governors in Nigeria’s southern and middle belts to stop funding the police and military.
The groups urged the governors of these regions to instead begin using their funds to arm Amotekun and other vigilante groups in order to protect their people’s lives.
This was contained in an electronic statement issued by the coalition’s Protem spokesman, Joseph Ekwo.
The coalition called on the middle-belt regions to invoke the Doctrine of Necessity and the provisions of Chapter VII, article 51 of United Nations Charter on Self-Defence by starting to buy arms for their respective regional security outfits, including training and re-training of local vigilantes and hunters in their domains so as to safeguard their people.
The statement read, “We have watched in aghast as Nigeria is currently drifting into a state of terror. The common people are not longer safe anywhere. People are kidnapped from their bedrooms, places of worship, farms, highways, etc. The ruling elites with bullet proof cars and jackets are kidnapped for ransom on daily basis.
“Benue State, known as Food Basket of the Nation is now the capital of Internally Displaced Persons in the South and Middle-Belt of Nigeria with 27 IDP camps and almost two million IDPs with no thanks to the activities of marauding Fulani terrorists.
“We are suggesting to the governors in the South and Middle-Belt of Nigeria to domesticate their resources and stop funding the civil defence, police and military Armed Forces that does not take instructions from them.
“The billions of naira governors spend monthly to purchase of arms, utility vehicles and other security gadgets for central-controlled security formations should be diverted to the funding of Amotekun and other passionate local vigilantes and hunter groups who should be subjected to periodic trainings and re-trainings.
“We also urge the governors in the South and Middle-Belt of Nigeria to domesticate laws that would officially declare any herder found with AK-47 guns as terrorists. We are calling on them to form Armed Farming Guards to protect farmers and their farms from attacks by Fulani Herdsmen and other aggressors whose intent appears to be disrupting the food supply to achieve mass starvation of the Indigenous people.
“Governors should also make provisions for all people who have been displaced from their land, lost their farms or their homes and ask the Nigerian government to adequately compensate them for their human and economic losses. The condition of those still in IDP camps must be significantly improved to make their temporary abodes habitable, provide adequate food, clean water, schools for the young, and law and order to protect the vulnerable.
“As a matter of urgent importance, governors in the South and Middle-belt of Nigeria should mobilize the national assembly members in their territory to ensure that the State Indigene Bill that some Representatives of Fulani background want to pass in the National Assembly of Nigeria which enables non-indigene to become indigenes of where they reside after five years of residence is foiled and rejected.
“The bill, if allowed to be passed into law, will formalize the complete overtaken of all the land in the south and middle-belt of Nigeria by a group that already boasted that all the land in Yoruba land belongs to their great-grand fathers. Being indigenes, they could become kings and kingmakers in the South and Middle-Belt lands. It is basically an extension of the land-grabbing agenda of the Nigerian Government after failing to foist RUGA on the indigenous people.”
The coalition also faulted the culture of installing Sarkin Fulani in the southern and meddle-belt regions.
“Without prejudice to the rights to the association of everyone, we state without any fear or favour or intimidation that the culture of installing Sarkin or Seriki Fulani in the South and Middle-Belt regions of Nigeria should be abolished by Governors from these zones. All these positions are not religious but traditional leadership positions, therefore, imposing these foreign “leaders” on the traditions of the Middle Belt to South appears to be an act of conquest,” it added.