The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has attributed a wave of violent attacks and killings in agrarian communities across Plateau, Benue, and other regions of Nigeria to foreign armed herders exploiting regional mobility agreements.
Addressing reporters in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, stated that intelligence assessments indicate many of the assailants behind the recent spate of violence are non-Nigerian nationals who have crossed the country’s borders under the guise of pastoral migration.
Echoing these concerns, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia recently pointed to the misuse of ECOWAS livestock mobility protocols by foreign herders, alleging that armed infiltrators are exploiting legal frameworks to launch cross-border invasions into rural communities.
The DHQ’s position has intensified calls for a review of Nigeria’s border management policies and ECOWAS agreements, especially in light of growing insecurity linked to transnational actors.
Responding to newsmen, Kangye said that even though the Hausa language was spoken in different parts of Africa, it was easy to identify those who are non-Nigerians.
According to him, when you hear them talk in some instances you will be able to decipher whether these people are from here or not.
“Hausa language like any other language has different versions and intonations.
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“So, the Hausa spoken in Nigeria has differences between the Hausa spoken in Mali, also the Hausa spoken in Central Africa Republic and Hausa spoken in Ghana.
“So when we arrest these herders and terrorists, even the way they speak and appear is clear to see and even the hair will tell you that this person is not from Nigeria.
“I think the only community in Nigeria that has hair similar to the Shuwa in the Sahel region is probably the Shuwa Arabs in Borno but they don’t even have the same hair.
“So one will also admit that many of those terrorising our people are foreigners even though some of them are also Nigerians,” he said.
Kangye said that some herders of Nigerian origin also get involved in the process of rearing their cows.
He added that some of them often encroach into people’s farms resulting in conflict between the farmers and the herders.
He stated that most of the violence and incessant killings occurring in parts of the country were largely carried out by individuals who had entered through the nation’s porous borders.
He stressed the need for the country to rise collectively, alongside relevant agencies responsible for monitoring and managing those who enter Nigeria. He emphasized the importance of collaboration among these agencies, noting that working within a joint environment was essential to effectively addressing insecurity.