Grazing Reserves Bill: Go and clear Sambiza Forest for Fulani Herdsmen, Activist tells Buhari

….Lauds Amnesty International on Nigeria Human Rights Violation

As controversy still surrounding the proposed Grazing Reserves Bill of President Muhammadu Buhari led-Federal Government to the National Assembly, a human rights activist and Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, has counseled the Federal Government of Nigeria to go and clear the den of Boko Haram sect, popularly called ‘Sambiza Forest’ for its proposed ‘Grazing Reserve Project’ for the Fulani Herdsmen, insisting that the Fulani Herdsmen have portended danger to the peaceful co-existence of the country since assumption of office of the President Muhammad Buhari.

Fulani Herdsmen

Reacting to the controversial proposed bill on the ‘Grazing Reserves’, Comrade Sulaiman in a signed statement on Sunday, stated that the bill would increase avoidable crisis in the land through the violent resistance across the region of the country, saying that the Fulani Herdsmen have become dangerous species across the States of the

Federation.

Sulaiman who doubled as the Chairman of the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS), advised President Buhari to drop the idea of forcing the grazing reserves bill on the States contrary to section 17,18 and 20 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, in order to save the country from imminent violent problem.

He described the proposed grazing reserves idea as ill-conceived, illegal, unconstitutional, self-serving, retrogressive, day-light robbery and time bomb which capable of igniting monumental crisis across the length and breadth of the nation, noting that it is an evil to conceive such an impunity idea which poor farmers across the land, were victims of the Fulani Herdsmen.

He called on the well meaning Nigerians and organizations including; Civil Society groups, National Assembly, Political Parties, as well as International Community to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to jettison the criminal idea, urging Buhari to implement the 2014 National Conference where a section recommended the scrapping of grazing route for the establishment of ranches in the land.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman applauded the Amnesty International for exposing the high rates of human rights abuses of the nation’s security agents, especially, the Nigeria Military in the war against Boko Haram sect, saying that the country has lost thousands of civilians because of excessiveness of Military in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

He recalled the excesses of the Military forces operation in the zone which lead to the extra judicial killing of civilians mistakenly suspected to be the members of the Boko Haram sect.

According to the recent report of the Amnesty International in Abuja, stated that “the conflict between the military and Boko Haram resulted in death of thousands of civilians and over 2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the end of the year 2015.Torture and ill-treatment by the police and security forces were widespread.

Demolitions of informal settlements led to the forced eviction of thousands of people. Death sentences continued to be imposed; no executions were reported.

“The military committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in its response to Boko Haram between 2011 to 2015. President Buhari promised to investigate evidence of several instances of war crimes by the military between June and December. However, no further action was taken to initiate independent and impartial

investigations”.

Grazing Reserves Bill: Go and clear Sambiza Forest for Fulani Herdsmen, Activist tells Buhari