A new report by Brussels-based independent researcher and analyst, Mr. José Luis Bazán, has revealed that Fulani herdsmen carried out 654 attacks in and killed 2, 539 Nigerians between 2017 and May 2, 2020.
The report entitled, ‘Working Document — Fulani Militias’ Terror: Compilation of News (2017-2020),’ also stated that apart from the attacks and killings, the blood-thirsty hounds also kidnapped their victims.
It stated that the herdsmen assaults against farmers in Nigeria were “regular, systematic, targeted attacks.”
“Nigerians are suffering widespread and systematic terrorist attacks by, mainly, Boko Haram, the ISIL-aligned Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), Fulani militias and Ansaru.
“The Global Terrorist Index 2019 published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, indicates that the primary driver of the increase in terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa was a rise in terrorist activity in Nigeria attributed to Fulani extremists: in 2018, Fulani extremists were responsible for the majority of terror-related deaths in Nigeria (1,158 fatalities), with an increase by 261 and 308 percent respectively from the prior year,” said the report.
The report noted that most of the “Fulani attacks were armed assaults” (200 out of 297 attacks) against civilians (84 percent of the attacks).
The statistics showed that in 2017, there were 99 attacks resulting in the killing of 202 people while 12 were kidnapped. In 2018, the attacks intensified rising to 245 resulting in 1,478 deaths.
The number of those kidnapped during that period rose to 29.
Last year, the report revealed that 169 attacks, 524 killings, and three kidnappings were carried out.
So far, in 2020 as of May 2, according to the report, there were 141 attacks, 335 deaths and 137 kidnappings.
But behind the figures, the document said the attacks, killings, and kidnappings were targeted at farmers who are “predominantly Christians.”
“Most of the victims are farmers (predominantly, Christians), but Fulani (predominantly, Muslim) have also attacked policemen, soldiers, etc.
“In our view, we can’t remain blind to the reality of regular, systematic, targeted attacks carried out by a minority of Fulani groups that spread terror among (Christian) farmers to achieve their own purposes, using AK47s, too.
“The attacks of these Fulani armed groups that form militias fit with the commonly accepted notion of terrorism as the intentional and illegal use of violence or threat of violence to intimidate a large spectrum of society, in the pursuit of political, religious, ideological or social objectives, and with the description of terrorist acts by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1566 (2004),” the report noted.
With ThisDay report
