As controversy still surrounding the proposed Grazing Reserves Bill of
President Muhammadu Buhari led-Federal Government to the National
Assembly, a human rights activist and Executive Chairman, Centre for
Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman, has counseled the Federal Government of Nigeria to go and
clear the den of Boko Haram sect, popularly called ‘Sambisa Forest’
for its proposed ‘Grazing Reserve Project’ for the Fulani Herdsmen,
insisting that the Fulani Herdsmen have portended  danger  to the
peaceful co-existence of the country since assumption of office of the
President Muhammad Buhari.

Reacting to the controversial proposed bill on the ‘Grazing Reserves’,
Comrade Sulaiman in a signed statement on Sunday, stated that the bill
would increase avoidable crisis  in the land  through the violent
resistance across the region of the country, saying that the Fulani
Herdsmen have  become dangerous species across the States of the
Federation.

Sulaiman who doubled as the Chairman of the Civil Societies Coalition
for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS), advised President Buhari
to drop the idea of forcing the grazing reserves bill on the States
contrary to section 17,18 and 20 of the 1999 Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, in order to save the country
from imminent violent problem.

He described the proposed grazing reserves idea as ill-conceived,
illegal, unconstitutional, self-serving, retrogressive, day-light
robbery and time bomb which capable of igniting monumental crisis
across the length and breadth of the nation, noting that it is an evil
to conceive such an impunity idea which poor farmers across the land,
were victims of  the Fulani Herdsmen.

He called on the well meaning Nigerians and organizations including;
Civil Society groups, National Assembly, Political Parties, as well as
International Community to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to
jettison the criminal idea, urging Buhari to implement the 2014
National Conference where a section recommended the scrapping of
grazing route for the establishment of ranches in the land.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman applauded the Amnesty International for exposing
the high rates of human rights abuses of the nation’s security agents,
especially, the Nigeria Military in the war against Boko Haram sect,
saying that the country has lost thousands of civilians because of
excessiveness of Military in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

He recalled the excesses of the Military forces operation in the zone
which lead to the extra judicial killing of civilians mistakenly
suspected to be the members of the Boko Haram sect.

According to the recent report of the Amnesty International in Abuja,
stated that “the conflict between the military and Boko Haram resulted
in death of thousands of civilians and over 2 million Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the end of the year 2015.Torture and
ill-treatment by the police and security forces were widespread.
Demolitions of informal settlements led to the forced eviction of
thousands of people. Death sentences continued to be imposed; no
executions were reported.

“The military committed war crimes and possible crimes against
humanity in its response to Boko Haram between 2011 to 2015. President
Buhari promised to investigate evidence of several instances of war
crimes by the military between June and December. However, no further
action was taken to initiate independent and impartial
investigations”.

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