Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has asked President Bola Tinubu to urgently restore peace in Plateau and Benue states, where deadly attacks have continued.
Falana made this appeal in a statement on Wednesday, blaming the killings on the failure of both federal and state governments to enforce the ban on open grazing across Nigeria.
According to him, the Northern Governors Forum had banned open grazing in February 2021, while Southern governors did the same in May of that year. He said the Federal Government also approved ranching in 2022 as the best way to stop the ongoing farmer-herder crisis.
“But because of the failure of the Federal Government and the 36 state governments to implement the ban on open grazing, hundreds of people have been killed by armed herders and other gunmen,” Falana said.
He described the killings in Plateau and Benue as heartbreaking and warned that they will continue if nothing is done urgently.
Falana called on President Tinubu, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to direct the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army and the Assistant Inspector General of Police in Zone 4, both based in Jos, to act fast and bring peace to the troubled areas.
“These killings must stop. The government must protect lives and restore law and order in these states,” he added.
The senior lawyer’s comment comes days after fresh attacks in both states led to the deaths of several people, with survivors calling for urgent government action.
