Nigerians Are Looking For Trouble By Criminalising Fulani Herdsmen – Lauretta Onochie

Lauretta Onochie, Senior Special Assistant on Social Media to President Muhammadu Buhari, has said that Nigerians are looking for trouble by generalizing the Fulani ethnic group as criminals.

Onochie stated this in a series of tweets, while reacting to a claim by human rights activist, Femi Falana, that the presidency is defending the Fulani herdsmen who have been fingered in several kidnapping stories in the country.

The Presidential aide insisted that no tribe is free of bad eggs, noting that criminalising an ethnic group because of hatred towards Buhari, is “nothing short of evil and fishing for trouble.”

She said no matter the good works of the Buhari administration, people that do not like him will always find fault in him and such will be transferred on Fulanis.

Omochie further asked Nigerians to embrace peace and tolerance amid the crisis between farmers and herders in Ondo and Oyo States.

“If Emeka, Chijioke and Adanma commit crimes in any state, Emeka, Chijioke and Adanma alone are arrested and charged. Not Ndigbo.

“If Adeleke, Ayodele and Iyabo commit crimes in any state, Adeleke, Ayodele and Iyabo alone would usually be arrested and charged. Not the Yoruba nation. However, when the criminal is Musa, Aliyu or Ibrahim, the whole Fulani nation is guilty. Sometimes, Fulanis who have lived in the area for decades, are made to suffer the consequences of crimes committed by others. Why is this? They are Fulanis, Pres Buhari’s ethnic group.

“If there’s an ethnic or community clash where lives and properties are lost, we pick and choose which to attribute to community clash & which to lay on the doorsteps of the Fulanis, President Buhari’s ethnic group in order to satisfy the craving for more bitterness & hatred towards President Buhari.

“There’s no tribe that is free of bad eggs. But criminalising an ethnic group because you don’t like President Buhari’s face, is nothing short of evil and fishing for trouble,” she tweeted.

She further said issues have been recycled to the point that those who benefit from the chaos have not noticed the strides the Buhari’s government has made.

“After restructuring, they moved to Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram. Then an international “ombudsman” organisation, released statistics showing that in spite of security challenges, Nigeria is safer under this government than the previous.

“They then moved to the economy. Most of their criticisms were false. With the pandemic and a downturn in the world economy, the IMF announced that Nigeria had moved from the 46th to the 25th best economy, globally while still maintaining her 1st spot in Africa. This angered them.

“They didn’t give it a mention. It was not what they wanted for Nigeria and Nigerians. They wallowed in a mud of disappointment. They are now back to restructuring and Fulani herdsmen. They decided that the two topics wailed together, would make more impact.

“Although they have refused to take their liberty, local government councils, state houses of assembly and state judiciaries have been granted autonomy through executive orders signed by Mr. President. What more can he do! Drop? #BabaNoDeyDrop #CrimeHasNoTribe #StopTheHatred.

She concluded by urging those seeking a change of government to wait till 2023

“Those threatening mayhem must calm down, take a deep breath and remember that this is the only nation we can truly call, “ours”. The ballot box is usually, the best way to change a government. That’s in 2023″

Meanwhile, Miyetti Allah have voiced out their frustration under President Buhari, saying he has not done anything for them other than creating enemies for herdsmen.