THE arrest of the commandant of Benue State’s Livestocks Guard, AliyuTershaku, by joint military task force in Makurdi, recently, is creating ripples in the state. Questions are being asked as regards who he really is. How could a Boko Haram “suspect,” as claimed by the military, be in charge of enforcing Benue State’s anti-grazing law?
The Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Major Olabisi Ayeni, had said in a statement that the military had arrested a Boko Haram suspect linked to the killings in Benue State.
“Nigerian troops have arrested the key Boko Haram suspect known as Aminu Yaminu nicknamed ‘Tershaku’ who is believed to have masterminded most of the recent attacks in Benue State.
“Aminu had concluded plans with his cohorts in Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Nasarawa states to launch a major attack on innocent citizens in Benue State,” the statement read.
The arrest has continued to raise posers, considering that the alleged Boko Haram kingpin is not only the state commandant of the state’s Livestock Guard but he is also a Senior Special Assistant to the governor.
It will be recalled that the military in January, arrested some militants at Benue/Taraba border during which the arrested militias mentioned the suspect, “Tershaku,” as their arms supplier and the one responsible for their training, a claim which he denied in an interview he once had with Saturday Tribune.
On his involvement in Boko Haram activities, Tershaku had said he was merely a Federal Government informant in the Boko Haram circle who had facilitated the arrest of some Boko Haram members sometime in 2011.
“Let me inform you of how the report of my membership of Boko Haram came to be. You see, I was once the one giving the Federal Government information about the activities of Boko Haram and this led to the arrest of some of the members in 2011,” he said, adding that his knowledge of security prompted some of the security chiefs to bring him into the security apparatus of Benue and Nasarawa states, especially at the height of the Fulani herdsmen crisis in 2014.
At every forum, Tershaku had insisted that his conscription into the security arrangement in the state was made possible by a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police.
“My coming into the security operation in the state was because of the then DIG, Operations. The security chiefs in the state — the CP, commandant, 72 Battalion, civil defence were all there at the meeting between Nasarawa and Benue states at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Makurdi,” he claimed.
But the million dollar question agitating the minds of many people is, who is Tershaku?
At the time he became a regular face in Benue State, the man was famously known as “Tashaku,” which the military recently referred to as his nickname. This name, according to a source, was what he was well known with from Nasarawa.
But he later told newsmen who used to call him “Tashaku” that his name was actually “Tershaku,” with the “Ter” meant to reflect his Tiv origin.
In some quarters, his identity and origin remain shrouded in secrecy. While some claim he is an Hausa man, others say he is a Tiv man from Nasarawa State. Some others agree that he is a Benue-born Tiv from Guma Local Government Area.
Those who subscribe to his Hausa origin hinge their conviction on the fact that he is more fluent in Hausa than Tiv language and that he is more comfortable with Hausa people than the Tivs. But those who claim he is a Tiv man opine that his long interaction with Hausa/ Fulani in Nasarawa may have affected his fluency in Tiv language.
But one thing that cannot be taken away from him is his native intelligence. He is a fast listener but slow to respond when approached for an interview. This he attributed to his security experience.
“I did not have the opportunity to go beyond primary school but I am always cautious of my dealings with people,” he once told this reporter.
A former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, once spoke of what he knew about Tashaku. He told Saturday Tribune that the first time he heard of “Tashaku” was a few years ago.
“I said he could not have hailed from Benue State. Later, I had cause to see him again where he told me that he was a member of Boko Haram and immediately, I sent a report to all the necessary security agencies about his status. Unfortunately, nothing was done,” Tsav said.
Guma Local Government chairman, Anthony Shawon, confirmed to this reporter that Tershaku is from his local government — and of the Nzorom extraction.
However, Governor Samuel Ortom has said that the law should be allowed to take its course on Tershaku. He reaffirmed his leadership style of not shielding anyone suspected to have committed a crime.
The governor, who spoke to newsmen on Monday, explained that it was the constitutional mandate of security agencies to arrest anyone suspected to have violated the law.
The questions remain: Who is this man? Is he Tiv, Hausa/Fulani or what?
Benue stakeholders laud NEC’s decision on open grazing
Latest records show that in Benue State alone, about 685 people, including security operatives deployed in the state to keep the peace, have been murdered and property worth billions of naira lost since January 1, 2018.
Presently, the state is battling to cater for displaced persons numbering about 180,000 in the eight designated camps located within Guma and Logo, the worst-hit local government areas by herdsmen attacks since New Year Day.
One of the consequences resulting from the herdsmen attacks is the great number of school children who are out of school.
According to a data released recently by the state Executive Secretary of the Teaching Service Board (TSB), Professor Wilfred Uji, about 300,000 children of school age across the state have abandoned schools this year. The children, Uji said, might lose one year academic calendar and it might take the state 20 years to recover the loss.
“With the rate of attacks on the state, a whole school calendar may be lost in some local government areas of the state. From records, 200,000 secondary school students and 100,000 primary school pupils who cut across several local government areas are out of school in Benue due to unabated attacks by herdsmen.
“So, the future of our children is under attack and education in Benue State is under attack and has been compromised completely due to the situation we find ourselves in. In the herdsmen and farmers crisis, the targets are usually the schoolchildren and if the crisis continues, it may take the state about 10 years before it will meet up with other states,” he said.
The splinter group of Miyeiti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), KautalHore, had attributed the present attacks on the state to anti-open grazing law recently enacted by the state.
But the people and government of the state have argued that the law came into existence as the only panacea to the yearly clashes between herdsmen and farmers which claimed about 3,000 lives between 2012 and 2017.
The state government has consistently accused leaders of KautalHore of using the attacks to frustrate the law.
Recently, a former governor of the state, Dr Gabriel Suswam, at the first anniversary of the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse, on throne, in Gboko, commended his successor, Ortom, for taking the bold step of coming out with the law prohibiting open grazing in the state.
He said the people might not immediately value the importance of the new law but in the years ahead, they would appreciate it.
Governor Ortom, while reacting to the decision of the National Economic Council (NEC) to outlaw open grazing, recently in an interaction with newsmen, said his administration made the law in good faith, having considered the losses by farmers and herdsmen.
He commended the vice president and his team for taking the step which, he said, would help to stop the clashes between herdsmen and farmers across the country.
“You know that Nigeria is a federation comprising 36 states and Abuja. And, of course, the 36 states are federating units and these units are independent of each other. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria mandates each federating unit to make laws for good governance.
“This is what we did as far as the grazing law is concerned. You’re aware that this challenge between herdsmen and farmers in Benue and other parts of the country preceded the current administration whether at the federal level or Benue.
“The steps we took were to finally forestall the unending crisis between farmers and herdsmen and we remain committed to this in Benue.
“I must congratulate the Benue people and Nigerians in general. I must congratulate the media for standing with us in defence of this law.
“You must appreciate the fact that from May 22, 2017 when we signed the bill into law, it became so contentious. There were several agitations from several quarters. So, for the NEC to adopt that, truly, ranching is the right way to go, it is congratulations to all of us and we appreciate God.
“We’ve always said that the prohibition of open grazing in Benue State is a product of the people themselves. You were all here and you saw that in the process of making this law, the people were in a hurry to the extent that Benue State House of Assembly was occupied more than three times. And you had people, old women, young men and so on, coming in to protest and to ensure that the law was enacted.
“Even as I speak to you today, before I went on vacation, I had cause to tour the IDP camps.
“I visited the eight of them and in spite of the hardship and the pains that the IDPs were going through, I did pose a question: ‘Do we find a way of repealing this law?’ They unanimously they said no. They believe that it is the way to go.
“I commend the wisdom of the Vice President in setting up that committee that went out to assess the situation and the entire members of NEC for coming out to adopt this.
“Like the northern governors, some weeks ago, they met in Kaduna and adopted that ranching was the only way to stop the challenge of herdsmen/farmers crisis.
“By 2050, the population of Nigeria, by projection, would be 415 million and, if we have approximately 200 million people and this challenge, by the time we double that population, where are we going to be? Where would you have the land for open grazing?
“So, I commend NEC for taking this bold decision. Individual states are at liberty to decide what is good for them. I’m aware that some time ago, my colleague in Kano State called on all herdsmen to go to Kano as they have enough land for them to do open grazing. That is the kind of thing I’m talking about.
“For us here, it is impossible because we don’t have the land; our land is for crop production, which is the main occupation of our people. Even within our population here, the land is not enough for farming.
“So, I appreciate God because it has been agreed that ranching remains the best global practice,” the governor said.
Spokesman for the amalgam socio-cultural group in the state which comprises Mdgzou U Tiv, Idoma National Forum and Omi’Ngede, Chief Edward Ujege, described the decision of NEC as a welcome development which, according to him, will assist in putting an end to the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
He, however, said that the Federal Government should not forcibly acquire land for ranching but follow the wish of the people.
“The NEC’s decision is a welcome development. It is what we have repeatedly said. It is good that they have seen reason in our agitation.
“But the only thing is that the acquisition of land for ranching should follow the wish of the people. It should not be that government would just come in and forcefully take land from the locals.
“It has to be according to the laws made by the various Houses of Assembly in order to avoid friction,” Ujege said.
For a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, the decision of NEC was victory for the people of Benue State.
“It is a victory for Benue people because the governor championed it and the Federal Government has embraced it. So, Ortom should be credited for coming out with it. It’s indeed a victory for the government and people of Benue and Nigerians in general.
“No doubt if they ban open grazing and provide land for ranching, that would solve the problem. It will check the killings occasioned by farmers/herders crisis. It will also put a check to cattle rustling,” he said
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