Insecurity: It’s well…NO, it’s not well

Sometimes, I wonder when we grew deceit into a culture, a thriving culture. My searches have produced no answers. That is the more frustrating part of efforts at solving a problem that few see or know that it exists.

We are exalting deceit in many ways. Nobody cares any longer about our utterances, though we are the first to admit that the fullness of the heart and its abundances reflect in the things we say, how we say them, and who we address with those words.

How do we look at daily killings around us, over the years, and all we can say is: It’s well?

How did we arrive at that level of depravity?

· January 27, 2015: 17 people were killed in attacks on Abugbe, Okoklo, Ogwule & Ocholoyan in Agatu LGA by Fulani herdsmen.

· January 30, 2015: Over 100 attackers stormed 5 villages in Logo LGA, killing 9 persons.

· March 15, 2015: Fulani herdsmen invaded Egba village in Agatu LGA and over 90 locals, including women and children, were killed.

· April 27, 2015: 28 people were killed by herdsmen in an attack on 3 villages at Mbadwem, Guma LGA, Benue State.

· May 11, 2015: 5 people were killed in the Ikyoawen community in Turan Kwande LGA, Benue State

· May 24, 2015: 100 people were killed in an attack by Fulani herdsmen in villages and refugee camps at Ukura, Gafa, Per, and Tse-Gusa, Logo LGA, Benue State.

· July 7, 2015: Fulani herdsmen killed one person following an attack on mourners in Imande Bebeshi in Kwande LGA, Benue State.

· November 5, 2015: 12 people were killed, 25 others injured in Buruku LGA of Benue State following an attack by suspected herdsmen.

· Feb 8, 2016: 10 people were killed and over 300 displaced in a clash between herdsmen and farmers at Tor-Anyiin and Tor-Ataan in Buruku LGA Benue State

· February 18, 2016: Fulani herdsmen at Okokolo village in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State killed five people.

· Feb 21-24, 2016: Over 500 people were killed and 7000 displaced in an attack on Agatu LGA by Fulani herdsmen.

· March 5, 2016: the rampaging Fulani herdsmen killed About 500 people after an attack on Agatu local government area of Benue State.

· March 9, 2016: 8 people were killed by Fulani herdsmen in attacks on Ngorukgan, Tse Chia, Deghkia and Nhumbe in Logo LGA, Benue State.

· March 13, 2016. Herdsmen in an attack on Tarkaa LGA killed 6 people.

· February 29, 2016: 11 people were killed in Edugbeho Agatu, Benue State.

· March 10, 2016: 2 people were killed after Fulani herdsmen attacked a community in Agatu.

· April 12, 2016: Fulani herdsmen attacked two villages in Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State and killed 15 people.

· April 19, 2016: Fulani herdsmen allegedly killed over 23 persons in Delta State.

· April 25, 2016: Fulani herdsmen killed About 40 people after they attacked 7 villages in Nimbo in Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

· June 16, 2016: A 45-year-old renowned farmer was shot by Fulani herdsmen in Ossissa community in Ndokwa east local government area of Delta State.

· June 20, 2016: At Least 59 people were killed following an attack in Benue State.

· January 24, 2017: 15 people were killed by rampaging Fulani herdsmen, who attacked farmers in Ipiga village in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.

· March 2, 2017: 10 people were killed after Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashed in Mbahimin community, Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

· March 11, 2017: 7 people were killed when Fulani herdsmen attacked a Tiv community, Mkgovur village in Buruku

· May 8, 2017: Three persons were confirmed killed by herdsmen in Tse-Akaa village, Ugondo Mbamar District of Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

· May 13, 2017: Less than one week after many people were killed by herdsmen in three communities of Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, armed herders struck again on May 13 killing eight more people.

· December 31, 2017 and January 2, 2018: 73 persons including seven members of the Benue State Livestock Guards killed in fresh attacks on Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen after they invaded Gaambe-Tiev, Ayilamo and Turan all in Logo LGA as well as Umenger, Tse-Akor and Tomatar near Tse-Abi in Nongov District of Guma LGA

· January 7, 2018: Fulani herdsmen kill 5 Mambilla men and injured 6 others

· January 14, 2018: 10 people were killed as Fulani herdsmen attacked two villages in the Birnin-Gwari Local Government of Kaduna State.

· January 17, 2018: At least 4 people were killed in an attack on Uhime and Angyo communities at Dooka in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State by Fulani herdsmen.

· January 17, 2018: 4 people were killed in a fresh attack by suspected armed herdsmen in Logo and Guma Local Government Areas on Wednesday in Benue State.

· January 25, 2018: 6 people were killed in two separate attacks by Fulani herdsmen on two communities in Plateau State.

· January 30, 2018: Fulani herdsmen attacked NNPC officials, killed one person in Benue State

· February 26, 2018: Fulani herdsmen attacked a community in Delta State and killed a couple.

· February 28, 2018: 20 people were killed in Adamawa State after Fulani herdsmen attacked farmers.

· March 3, 2018: A Mambilla woman from Takam Village, east of Maisamari, Taraba State, was returning from market when the Fulani mercenaries caught up with her and slaughtered her like a ram.

· March 4, 2018: The entire Maisamari-Tungan Ahmadu-Escarpment highway was taken over by hundreds of armed Fulani mercenaries emerging from Gashaka area. The mercenaries on the Escarpment Highway killed several people. The Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Aderemi’s convoy ran into these mercenaries on his way to Mambilla and captured four of the mercenaries whom he took along with him to Gembu.

· March 5, 2018: 10 people were killed by Fulani herdsmen in Benue’s Omosu village

· March 7, 2018: 26 people were killed as herdsmen sack Benue village in a fresh attack.

Of course, numerous attacks took place in April, May, then Jos June, but I would not bore you with those details. What is listed above are some of the attacks. There are attacks in almost every State. There have been attacks in these States – Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Imo, Enugu, Plateau, Taraba, Kaduna, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra, Cross River, Katsina.

Religiosity may just be at the centre of the galvanised attempts to deny that we are in dire situations that require decisive actions. We are treating cancers with analgesics that can barely cure headaches.