Before now, it fearfully stood out as a no-go area. You dared it at your peril. The mere mention of it even in your closet would send shivers down your marrow. That was our innocent mind-set.
It subsisted until this monarch emerged from the blues. And he came with rare candour and colour. When he did it, we were expectedly naïve.
We erroneously thought heavens would fall almost immediately. That he had “carelessly” stirred up the hornet’s nest. But it never happened. We searched for a way to explain it away. We thought the Presidency was biding its time. Then, it would strike.
This too did not happen. We waited for a month. It never came to pass. And it may not happen now or in the future. How we goofed big time!
Emir of Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tafida, Taraba State, certainly knew how to do it. And he did it like no other. It was like never before. He did not miss the golden opportunity.
He grabbed it with all the strength in him. He was bold and down-to-earth. He came like a hurricane hitting hard where it mattered most.
It was like a movie. But it was real. He was patient till July 20, 2021. He had watched all along and perhaps helplessly. It was a long wait.
His subjects were being mowed down before his very eyes. What’s more, by their fellow Fulani kith and kin. But these ones were killers in their midst.
This emir would not allow this to prevail any longer. With wisdom, he took his case to Allah. And the Eid-el-Kabir provided the needed grace and space. He cried to his Creator.
The God who never fails answered him. He was spiritually and visibly emboldened. And you could see it all over him.
After saying his Sallah prayers, he was strengthened and fortified. He was resolute and determined. He literally spit fire. You dare not blame him.
He knew where the shoes pinched. And he addressed it squarely right on the praying ground. He would not wait. There might not be another day. What is worth doing at all is worth doing very well.
He spoke from the very bottom of his heart. He did not care a hoot. He was brave and courageous at the same time. His message was not lost. It sank from “top to bottom.”
He talked down on the herders. He truly spoke from the throne. He was authoritative in his narrative. There was dead silence when he held the microphone:
“Our brothers the nomadic herdsmen (Bororo) from neighbouring countries, you came to us to allow you stay in our forests. We allowed you because you are our brothers. When you came, we welcomed you. We regarded you as fellow Muslims.”
Then, what went wrong? The emir’s poser: “But the question you must answer is, are you Muslims? This is a question we are waiting for you to answer. We deserve to know if you are Muslims.”
He became increasingly agitated. He could not hide his misgivings about his own kinsmen: “If you are one of us (Muslims) and you decide to stay in the forest, only to kidnap us one by one for ransom, you should stop it because your attitude is not acceptable to Allah.” Gbam! You rammed it right.
Tafida was magnanimous enough to offer a viable option: “But if you are not Muslims, I want to tell you, like we fought the infidels before, we are ready to fight you with all our strength.”
This is where he was going. And he did not pretend: “I have given you (Bororo) 30 days to leave my emirate. If we see any one of you after the expiration of my ultimatum, we will kill him. I am calling on my subjects to know that and be ready to fight or else I will draw the line.”
Emir Tafida did not look like somebody issuing just empty threats. He was clearly above pettiness. He did not mince his words. He detested frivolities. He would not touch one even with the longest pole.
He meant every word he pronounced: “We will kill him without asking him what he comes to do or ask his name or where he comes from. If we are going to be all killed let it be. If we will all die, let it be.”
This is strikingly scary. But the emir forged ahead. He had belled the cat. He would not look back. He would not blink either. He cried out: “We will not allow bastards come and kidnap our wives, take them to the forest and rape them or commit adultery with them.”
He shifted the focus to his people: “In one of the villages, we have the report of a district head conniving with these criminals. He was arrested and granted bail by the police and the people are watching him.
“I think such a leader is not supposed to be living among us. Listen to me, henceforth, any person who is found to be conniving with these criminals, we will go and kill his mother and other siblings.”
Tafida turned his anger on the security agencies and their operatives. He issued a stern warning:
“For the police, we expect you to do your duty. If you arrest any kidnapper and set him free, we are not going to accept that. Our armed youths will be directed to go after the kidnappers.”
The last appeal: “I am calling on Ardos (leaders of Fulani) to stop these barbaric acts in my emirate because you all know who are carrying out these criminals activities. I want to reiterate that any kidnapper that is set free by the security will not be spared.”
We just had to go back this far. The emir merely did the needful. He courageously called out his subjects. They should take up arms against their own. Those who rape and maim, the killers among them.
Tafida’s uncommon action paid off handsomely. The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) did not take the threat lightly. It combed the bushes and forests of Taraba.
MACBAN dragged out six suspected kidnappers and a gunrunner. Just exactly a month after! It’s heart-warming. Isn’t it?
Not only that; six repentant kidnappers of Fulani extraction were added to the gains. All of them were handed over to the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Sokoya, on Sunday.
This would explain why Governor Bello Masari began to shout loud and clear. He oversees President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state of Katsina. Even before that, he was Speaker, House of Representatives.
You can then imagine his Herculean task.
The emir has shown the way out. He equally provided the needed impetus. Nobody would watch Tafida and refuse to be moved.
Masari did and he’s not the same again. He couldn’t have been an exception. He is human he has feelings and emotions. He could not resist the emir. He opted not to ignore him either.
Masari marvelled at the manner Tafida did it, how he did. He was amazed at the emir’s uncanny audacity. Tafida mesmerised us too. We are eternally grateful he did what he did.
The governor was spurred. He could not curtail it. He fell for it. Promptly, Masari tapped into Tafida’s wisdom. And the governor is the better for it today.
That was the build-up to the governor’s famous pronouncement last week. He told the residents, acquire weapons and defend themselves against the bandits. Instantly, he became the rave of the moment. He has been soaring, occupying every available space.
His spokesman, Abdul Labaran Malumfashi, told us in clear terms:
“The governor said it was morally wrong for people to submit meekly to the bandits without any attempt to defend themselves. It is the people’s meek submission that emboldens the bandits to continue with their heinous activities with murderous frequency.”
Apparently, this did not sit well with some disgruntled elements. They recklessly displayed their pent-up anger. They roared Masari must go. How?
The governor refused to give a damn. Instead, he did a devastating follow-up. He confirmed our fears when he confessed: “I am the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Katsina State only on paper.” Waaoow!
He told his armchair critics to direct their anger against the Federal Government. Why? Malumfashi again responded: “The various security chiefs in the state take orders not from him, but from their superiors in Abuja.”
Wonders had happened in Katsina earlier. Masari once confided in the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Faruk Yahaya. He told him that 10 of his 34 local governments were in the hands of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers. That was huge.
Almost at the same time, the Katsina Emirate Council came out boldly. It banned open grazing of animals within the Katsina metropolis and its surrounding communities. Wakilin Kudin Katsina, Alhaji Abdu Iliyasu, said the order became effective from Tuesday, August 3, 2021.
Things are beginning to take shape. We can still get it, perhaps. It is not new. It is only gaining wide acceptance even from unexpected quarters. And the momentum should be maintained and sustained at the same time.
Remember, Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd), said it as far back as February: “It is the responsibility of everybody to keep alert and to find safety when necessary. But we shouldn’t be cowards.
“At times, the bandits will only come with about three rounds of ammunition, when they fire shots everybody runs. In our younger days, we stood to fight any aggression coming for us.”
He wondered aloud: “I don’t know why people are running from minor things like that. They should stand and let these people know that even the villagers have the competency and capabilities to defend themselves.”
The reason we should commend Masari and Tafida. They are two of a kind. They are polite, elaborate and profound. They display sincerity of purpose.
They told us in practical terms what we long expected from the Presidency. The duo gave hope. Probably, we can still have a Nigeria of our dream.
Masari and Tafida are only coming on the heels of Governor Sam Ortom of Benue State. He is the ultimate trailblazer. He would never cease raving and raging.
Great kudos to the trio. We urge their ilk on. Now is the time to stand up and be counted. And it will be credited to their names. It’s worthwhile.
The more the merrier.