I was in Nigeria in December 2022. I can say for certain that the horrible situation in the country is far worse than what we hear and read in the news media. The situation is so bad that you can sense fear among citizens. Two days prior to my arrival, two people were kidnapped in my village. Because of the widespread poverty, hunger, and human suffering that I witnessed, the private water well that I drilled was opened to the public for their water supply need.
As I drove across towns and villages, what I saw is a reminder of what happened in the book of Judges, Chapter 6. The only thing that is lacking is a Gideon who will save the situation. Fulani cattle herders travel all over the country and terrorize the people. They herd their animals to people’s farms and eat up all their crops. I observed these Fulanis grazing their cattle on people’s farms. There is nothing the owners could do. If they chase them away, be rest assured that your village will be attacked at night. It suggests that they are working hand in hand with the government and security agents.
So, the best people could do is to watch these terrorists graze their animals on their farms and eat up their crops. As a result, there is widespread hunger in the land.
In Enugu State, where I am originally from, on Dec. 18, 2022, these terrorist Fulani cattle herders killed more than 50 people. This killing happened in a village called Iha Amufu in Isi Uzo Local Government Area. No arrest has been made or anyone charged. The president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, is a Fulani man who protects the people committing this crime. Citizens are disarmed and prevented from defending themselves. If people organize to fight these cattle herders, they will be arrested by the Nigerian police and framed to be terrorists.
Millions of people have fled their towns and villages because of the frequency of attacks and are living in internally displaced people (IDP) camps. In some states, over 5 million people have been displaced and are currently living in these camps. There are more than five of these IDP camps all over the country. There are verifiable reports of military attacks on parts of these camps that suggest government involvement. The same government that tells the western world that they are fighting terrorism is doing nothing to protect the lives of its citizens.
I can authoritatively tell the world that what is happening in Nigeria is jihad backed by the Nigerian government. The southern regions of Nigeria are mostly Christian and have resolved that they rather die than be part of the Fulani radical terrorist-controlled dictatorship. The Fulanis are not indigenous to the region. Each tribe in southern Nigeria and Middle Belt has its own languages, cultures and long-standing history. If the Fulanis are successful with their jihad against indigenous people, Nigeria will become a radical terrorist epicenter on the West coast of Africa. These jihadists will be well-funded with all of the confiscated natural resources that southern Nigeria provides. Only water will separate this radical epicenter and the East Coast of the USA.
Please pray that God will strengthen and embolden his people to defend their faith and their land.
Nigerian native Chukwuemeka Offor is a resident of Albuquerque and works with the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a civil engineer.
