Admiral Murtala Nyako
There are now strong indications that the effort of the military and other security operatives against insurgents may not yield the desired results soon, as some very powerful persons in the government are bent on making sure that the country remains “ungovernable” for President Goodluck Jonathan.
Adamawa state which is one of the states presently under emergency rule declared by the federal government would have presumably been considered the less attacked among these three states by the Boko Haram insurgents, But now the state might be gearing towards a full blown war soon, if not properly monitored by the Nigerian military with the spate of the influx of the Fulani mercenaries allegedly imported, and hired by Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state into the state for reason known to only him.
The current spate of attacks on innocent Nigerians by the insurgents suspected to be Islamic extremists sect, Boko Haram has continued unabated across the country especially in the North East geo political zone. The most recent method being the capture of the 234 school children in Borno state leading to threat of their being allegedly married out at give away bride prices of between N2, 000 – N5,000 to the bordering countries of Cameroun, Niger and Chad. This we learnt reliably was a deliberate attempt by the Islamic sect to further Islamize the non-Muslim among the students since the government secondary school is predominately Christians. Barely two weeks after the bomb blast in Nyanya, a suburb of the Nigeria’s federal capital territory that claimed over 75 lives, another bomb went off almost at the same spot claiming another 19 lives. Nigeria is presently under intensive terror and siege. In addition to all of these are the sporadic attacks in the North Central states of Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Southern part of Kaduna and Taraba states, which are predominantly Christian States by “hired Fulani herdsmen.” The method of the attacks by these groups is quite different from what is known of the Boko Haram insurgents. Who are these Fulani herdsmen that are more sophisticatedly armed than our military? And who are their sponsors? These are the mind bugling questions agitating the minds of many people today.
There are now strong indications that the effort of the military and other security operatives against these undesirable elements in our society may not yield the desired results soon as some very powerful persons in the government are bent on making sure that the country remains “ungovernable” for President Goodluck Jonathan. These people are not prepared to co-operate with the federal government to find lasting solution to this menace, rather they have continued to fan the ember of religious and ethnic crisis by all means.
Adamawa state which is one of the states presently under emergency rule declared by the federal government would have presumably been considered the less attacked among these three states by the Boko Haram insurgents. But now the state might be gearing towards a full blown war soon, if not properly monitored by the Nigerian military with the spate of the influx of the Fulani mercenaries allegedly imported, and hired by Governor Murtala Hammanyero Nyako of Adamawa state into the state for reason known to only him. Adamawa State with all the advantages of a border state is presently been used as a launch pad for both the Boko Haram insurgency and the Fulani mercenaries to attack and destabilized Nigeria.
Investigations carried out by PowerSteering News Magazine revealed that no fewer than five hundred Fulani mercenaries trained in Sudan were imported into the state and are camped at the border village of Typsen in Toungo Local Government Area of Adamawa State on the instruction of the state governor. The Fulani men are kept at the expense of the state government, fed, well taken care of and paid a stipend of about N50,000.00 each monthly by the state government with the tax payers’ money.
According to our source, the Fulani men are well taken care of, fed thrice daily, well dressed, kitted, armed and equipped for the assignment for which they were brought in. The source further said that all these things and many more are funded through the village head of Typsen. The method is systematically applied to most villages where Fulani tribe are minorities but with Fulani men as village heads.
Although this development according to our source did not go down well with the paramount ruler of the area, the Gangwari Ganye, Alhaji Umaru Adamu Sanda, whose attempt to draw the attention of the state government, fell on deaf ears. It was at the point the Gangwari Ganye made the move to remove the Typsen village head that he discovered that it was the very state government itself that brought in the mercenaries into the state. He was afterwards reprimanded, and his position threatened by the state governor, Nyako himself.
A resident in the area who spoke under a condition of anonymity confirmed that since the arrival of these people to their area, the entire village and the surrounding have been thrown into confusion with virtually everyone living in fear as the Fulani’s movement has always been unpredictable and mostly at nights. One of the residents boasted that, “Though we are Chambs by tribe and we are not afraid of war but there is the need for us to be apprehensive of the presence of this strange people whose ways and mission are unknown to us.” “We are unable to speak out for the fear of the state machinery; Nyako is very vicious and vindictive.”
“We have drawn the attention of our village Head who has also informed our paramount ruler, but we have been watching and waiting without result, while these people are gaining grounds by the day” he added.
Our investigation further revealed that the importation of these Fulani men who are mostly from the neighbouring countries of Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Libya was facilitated by Governor Nyako to ferment trouble ahead of 2015 general elections aimed at dethroning President Goodluck Jonathan and enthroning a Northern Muslim as a president. Their agenda is said to be Arabization and Islamization of Nigeria by 2015 by all means. We were reliably informed that Gov. Nyako who has openly confessed his hatred for President Jonathan and his South-Southern and South-Eastern people with passion is bent on making the country ungovernable for him.
In a similar development, another group of Fulani mercenaries alleged to be imported into the state on the order of the same state governor, Murtala Nyako are also camped in Tambo village in Gerei Local Government Area of the state. PowerSteering investigation revealed after a visit that the youths of the area have threatened to chase them out of their land if nothing is urgently done about them. When contacted, the Chairman of the two Local Government Areas who are themselves Fulanis, as expected denied any knowledge of the presence of any strange group of Fulani men but added that the Fulani are nomadic by nature and could move in and out at will. He also emphasized that the people seen in their areas were those who have lived with them for a long time.
On the plans by the state government to use them to destabilize the 2015 general elections, the state Secretary of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Barrister A.T. Shehu said although he has not got any wind of the governor of the state camping some Fulani mercenaries in some parts of the state, but added that; “nobody is above the law and if anybody thinks he can use whatever means to destabilize the peace of the state before, during or after the forthcoming general elections, will face the wrath of the law.” He however urged the people of the state to be more vigilant and law abiding.
It will be recalled that few years back two trailer load of over one thousand illegal aliens were arrested along Garkida-Gombi road and prevented from going further into the country’s hinterland but when they were brought back to Yola, Governor Nyako had allegedly ordered their unconditional release and till date no one could say how they disappeared into the country.
There are other very strong allegations against Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State that his imported Sudan trained Fulani mercenaries are responsible for the incessant Fulani herdsmen attacks on Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Southern Kaduna and Benue states. It was revealed to PowerSteering that the murder of 12 Adazi, Igbomen from Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State by gunmen at a town hall meeting in Mubi were carried out at the order of Governor Nyako by the Fulani mercenaries. Sometimes last year, after killing these Igbomen, no meaningful investigation was carried out uptil date by Nyako’s government. Retrieving the bodies of these men was a herculean task for their kinsmen afterward. Gov. Nyako has never hidden his deep-seated hatred for a typical South-easterner. Nyako’s pronouncements and actions has further endangered and overwhelmed their survival and existence in the part of the North where Nyako holds sway. Nyako is allegedly fingered to be behind the current Wukani/Fulani herdsmen crisis. He has allegedly been accused of supplying the arms used in that crisis which are said to be of higher caliber than that of the Nigerian Armed Forces from his farm in Mayo Belwa. These Fulani mercenaries have four operational bases in Yola, Jos, Kaduna and Lafia from where they drive into their targeted places, operate and return to their bases within hours without being noticed. All operations carried out in Jos and Kaduna are said to be done from either of the cities while Benue attacks are done from Lafia in Nasarawa State. Both the groups in Yola and Lafia carry out the ongoing crisis in Wukari with re-enforcement from Jos, PowerSteering was reliably told.
PowerSteering News Magazine investigations equally revealed that Governor Nyako has been using his position as the governor of Adamawa State, a border state advantage to bring in foreigners from all over the West African sub-region into the country under the cover of a fellow Fulani man who needs Fulani herdsmen in his farm to work for him. He is alleged to have imported over five hundred Fulani mercenaries from North Africa to ferment trouble ahead of 2015 elections, and opened up the border for many more to come through Cameroun. He is also alleged to have used his multi billion naira, multi-purpose Sebore Farms situated in Mayo Belwa, Adamawa State as armoury (arms dumping ground) for the nefarious activities of the Fulani herdsmen targeted at Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna states specifically.
Sources informed this magazine that Nyako provided unsuspected, unmarked vehicles and unassuming logistics including hired Helicopters that usually supply the sophisticated armed Fulani herdsmen and mercenaries with ammunitions and food when they operated, attacked and terrorized Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna states. Such Hilux vehicles, he brought into the country through the borders are unsuspecting and do not necessarily look new, clean or distinct from the regular ones used around the country. Most time the vehicles look like commercial pick-ups. Other times, they look clean like government official vehicles but unmarked. These so-called Fulani herdsmen
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