FULANI HERDSMEN ARE NOT TERRORISTS - OGUN VGN COMMANDER

The Ogun state Commander of Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Olanrewaju Adedoyin Nureni have urged Nigerians not to always associate the issue of herdsmen killing across the country to only Fulanis, saying the perpetrators were hibernating under that platform to carry out the deadly activities. The commander spoke in his office yesterday March 2^nd 2018 in Abeokuta, the state capital when answering questions generally TRENDINGMETRO generally on Nigeria security. Excerpt.

TRENDINGMETRO: May we meet you sir?

OLANREWAJU: I am Olanrewaju Adedoyin Nureni, the Ogun State Commander of Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN).

TRENDINGMETRO: What have been the achievements of your command so far since the beginning of this year?

OLANREWAJU: Thank you very much for this. If you look at the security challenges we are having in the country, namely terrorism, kidnapping, ritual killings and so many other things like that, you will see that there is need for security agencies or security organizations in the country to adopt new system or new approaches to security. What I am saying in essence is that now is the time for security agencies to re-strategize and make sure that they put in new measures to tackle security threats that we are facing in the country right now, and these are the things that we have started since the beginning of this year. We have embarked on several trainings to counter terrorism; we have prepared our men in order to face the issue of kidnapping and we have also prepared our men so as tackle the issue of ritual killings. You will recall that recently, a girl of seventeen years of age was kidnapped around Ipokia, slaughtered, her intestine, heart, private part were removed, beheaded and was thrown into a well, at the end of the day, it was our men that get the perpetrators of this evil act arrested. So, it is as a result of all the trainings, and re-strategizing our men for better performance that enhance the performance of their duties in the field. These are what we have started like I said earlier, to make sure that we have a safe environment and habitable for all and sundry in Ogun state, as well as Nigeria at large.

TRENDINGMETRO: As regard to the kidnapped of some secondary school girls in Yobe state, will you advice the Federal Government to employ the service of your command to secure all secondary schools in Nigeria?

OLANREWAJU: You will see that Vigilante Group of Nigeria is a community security oriented organization. Our men are more available at grassroots level and you will see that what we have been doing, we have been working hand in gloves with all other security agencies across the country, and that is what made the National Assembly, I mean the lawmakers to raise a bill in the name of Vigilante Group of Nigeria which has been passed right now, and it is before the table of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari. This bill has been taken care of, and if this bill is accented to, we will have mandate to deploy our men to every schools in the country. There is no fear because we have already prepared for that. Right now that the bill have not been accented to, we are trying our best several times to patrol across schools, even without informing the proprietress of many schools to take cognizance of everything that is going around because the lives of all our kids are paramount to us. It is not easy for any parent to lose his or her child. We our command become law, you will see our men around doing that.

TRENDINGMETRO: What is your command doing to curb the activities of the Fulani Herdsmen killing and kidnapping people all around?

OLANREWAJU: We have discussed this on several occasions, both on TV, Radio programmes, debates, symposiums, among others that were held in the past. What I would say is this; let us not always associate the issue of herdsmen killing to only Fulanis. In the past we have heard about the cases of herdsmen and farmers clashing over one thing or the other which a times result in death of farmers or herdsmen. You see, Fulanis have been living among us for a very long time. They came into Nigeria in the 19^th century, thereby, look at the time this is happening. They are now Nigerians because they have been living among us for many years, and since they have been with us, they don’t have problems, and if you look at the religion they are practicing, which is Islamic religion which preaches peace. Automatically, someone practicing religion that preaches peace must be a peaceful man. Not only that, the cattle raring business does not pave way for these kind of activities. It consumes time. In my own opinion, I believe some people are hibernating under that platform to carry out deadly activities. Look at the numbers of people that were killed in Benue state. If you see the Fulani herdsmen, they either move with their cattle in two or three, how can only two people attack a community and killed more than two-hundred people? This is an organized crime. And organized crime will be well planned, strategize and well executed. How can real Fulani whose major business is to rare cattle have time to simultaneously plan to attack a community and kill many people? I don’t believe that.

TRENDINGMETRO: Recently, VSO Commander, Soji Ganzallo granted an interview, saying your organization, VGN pull out from anger. What is your view about this?

OLANREWAJU: Please, I will like you to go and ask the source of the VSO that you just mentioned. Are they not from VGN? We were all VGN in the past, it was as a result of one thing or the other that made us change that name in Ogun state alone as Vigilante Service of Ogun state (VSO), but greed, miscalculation and covetousness created what we have in Ogun state, to make Vigilante in two bodies. If they are saying, we are using VGN to deceive people, I don’t really get it well, to deceive people as how? Like I told you earlier, we have our bill passed by the two chamber of the national assembly. Look at the number of all the lawmakers that we have in Nigeria, for all of them to unanimously agreed that Vigilante Group of Nigeria should become a Federal Government agency, it means they have seen the good work that we have been doing, it means they have seen all our achievements and that is why our bill was able to scale through and passed. The bill is right now with the President which we believe by God grace, the President would sign it very soon. I don’t have time to give response to critics, because by the time you are doing that, you won’t focus on what you want to do and progress. Look at so many things that we have done in Ogun state. How can somebody just sit down in his office and be condemning one organization? It means that person is jobless. You recall sometimes ago when our men visited our Baba, the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, he spoke on vigilante Group of Nigeria, because that is what united the whole nation. We are not segregating; we are not particular about tribes because Vigilante does not pave way for tribalism and issue of ethnicity. NO! We encourage what join the whole nation together. We cannot encourage what will disintegrate Nigeria.

TRENDINGMETRO: How can you rate the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari, particularly in the area of security?

OLANREWAJU: Yes, thank you very much, because that is only the area where I can talk on. If you look at the way and manner which PMB met this country when he assumed office as President in 2015, you will see that the security of this country is a little bit shallow. And you will also see that, he has been trying his best. Since then, look at how the military were able to tackle the issue of insurgency in the country, northern part to be precise, definitely you give kudos to the President. You will see that he is a military man and you will see that he is so much interested in security of our great nation, Nigeria, which is why he was able to attain that feet. There is no doubt about it; Boko Haram has been defeated to some extent. The issue of kidnapping also goes down a little bit, yes, he is still doing more because we believe in him, and he will still do more for us.

TRENDINGMETRO: There is news saying the Arepo Pipeline Vandals have resumed to vandalize pipelines in the area, what is your command doing to secure the area?

OLANREWAJU: It is only the men of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp that have the mandate to tackle the issue of Pipeline vandalism. The only thing we can do is to help them by giving them information, gather intelligence. We have been doing it in the past for them, like one that happened around Ajura, area of Ogun state here, where a tanker came in to load fuel illegally by busting a fuel pipe along the area. It was one of our men that spotted them and called me that very day around 5am in the morning, and I told him to proceed to the nearest NSCDC office, he did and the perpetrators were brought to book. They have been cooperating with us because whenever we give them information, they move immediately, spontaneously to the field to arrest the situation. We are aware of your question and we have already prepared to work hand in glove with NSCDC to make sure we curb this menace.

TRENDINGMETRO: Your one-kobo advice to the general public?

OLANREWAJU: My little and candid advice to the people is to be law abiding citizens because by the time everybody is law abiding in the country, definitely, security agencies will have lesser work to do. Also the issue of criminal justice administration will not be giving high tension. Not only that, there would be peace and tranquility in all and across the nation.