By Olaitan Ibrahim
The Defence Headquarters has attributed the recent spate of violent attacks in Benue, Plateau, and other parts of Nigeria to foreign herders who have infiltrated the country through its porous borders.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye said linguistic and physical evidence suggests that many of the attackers are not Nigerian nationals.
“When you hear them speak, you can often tell they are not from here. For example, the Hausa spoken in Nigeria differs from that spoken in Mali, the Central African Republic, or Ghana,” Kangye said.
He further explained that their accent and intonation, as well as their hair texture, clearly identify them as foreigners.
“When we arrest these herders and terrorists, their speech and even their hair distinguish them from Nigerians. Perhaps only the Shuwa Arabs in Borno State have similar features, but not quite the same,” he added.
Kangye’s comments come amid growing outrage over incessant herder-farmer clashes that have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.
Many victims are now sheltered in Internally Displaced Persons camps across affected states.
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, had previously alleged that foreign herders were abusing the ECOWAS protocol on free movement to enter Nigeria and wreak havoc.
While acknowledging that some Nigerian herders also contribute to clashes, Kangye emphasised that the most violent incidents are mostly perpetrated by non-Nigerians.
“Some of those involved are Nigerians who encroach on farmlands during cattle grazing, leading to conflict. However, the most dangerous and frequent attacks come from infiltrators who enter through our porous borders,” he noted.
He called for stronger collaboration between security and border agencies to monitor and manage Nigeria’s extensive frontiers effectively.
Kangye also highlighted recent military successes, including the arrest of a notorious arms dealer and kidnapping kingpin, Buhari Umar, who has long terrorised communities in Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, and Kaduna states.
Additionally, troops apprehended a five-man kidnapping syndicate in the Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The suspects were identified as Hassan Mohammed, Saleh Sani, Idi Yusuf, Adamu Danmai, and Hassan Bello.
In the South-East, the military neutralised a wanted gang leader, Nkwachi Eze, alias Onowu, who was responsible for orchestrating several attacks and kidnappings.
He said that in April alone, troops rescued 173 kidnapped victims and received the surrender of over 204 terrorists and their family members.
Furthermore, 430 suspected oil thieves and other criminals were arrested, while troops of Operation Delta Safe thwarted oil theft worth over N1.93bn in one week.
“We recovered over one million litres of stolen crude oil, large volumes of illegally refined products, and dismantled 95 illegal refining sites,” Kangye said.