Former Naval chief claims Police know the sponsors of herdsmen
A former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Samuel Afolayan (retd.), has reportedly claimed that the Nigeria Police knows the sponsors of the dreaded Fulani herdsmen but cannot arrest them.
Afolayan made this statement while speaking in an interview with punch.
According to the retired Naval chief, he was pointedly told by the police that the sponsors of the herdsmen though known, but could not be arrested when he reported the numerous attacks on his farm to the Kwara State Police command.
He said the herdsmen sponsors are some highly place individuals in the society.
The ex-naval chief further noted that there has been countless numbers of the herdsmen attack on his farm but he refused to make noise about it in a bid to avoid escalating the tension in the country.
herder
But he has now chosen to speak for the first time in January.
Afoloyan added that he once seized one of the herders cows in an attempt to put an end to the attacks but they forcefully reclaimed their livestocks.
Afolayan alleged that he told the police to invite one of the owners of the cows for questioning but they responded that it will be difficult to achieve. It appears, some of the owners of the cows are some highly placed individuals.
“I said that is injustice. How do you remand a boy that is of no consequence when the boy had already told you that the owner of the cows is in Zamfara State?
“He gave the number of his employer and I said the police should invite the man who owns the cows and they were telling me that it would be difficult. What is difficult in that? The police can arrest anybody wherever he or she lives in Nigeria.”
The Naval stressed that the federal government was not doing enough to address the attacks while calls have been made that they should take drastic action in tackling the problem.
