Danjuma’s admonition came just as some elder statesmen warned on Saturday that unrestrained killings by herdsmen could undermine the unity of the country.
Those that spoke exclusively to THISDAY were a leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; legal luminary and former Minister of Education, Professor Ben Nwabueze; and a leader of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Tanko Yakassai.
Danjuma, who was visibly enraged by the incidences of killings across the country accused the Nigerian Armed Forces of being partisan and colluding with armed bandits to perpetrated carnages across the length and breadth of the country.
He said: “When I arrived this arena, I saw rich cultural display, and I was amazed at the rich cultural heritage of our people. Taraba is a mini Nigeria with diverse ethnic groups living together relatively peacefully. But the peace in this state is under assault.
“There is an attempt at ethnic cleansing in the state and of course, in some riverine and rural states in Nigeria. We must resist it. We must stop it. Every one of us must rise up.
“Our Armed Forces are not neutral. They collude with the armed bandits to kill people, kill Nigerians. The Armed Forces guide their movements. They cover them. If you are depending on the Armed Forces to stop the killings, you will all die one by one.”
The philanthropist, who donated N100m to the university’s endowment fund enjoined Nigerians to rise up to defend themselves, saying Somalia would be a child’s play if they failed to act.
“This ethnic cleansing must stop in Taraba State and other rural states of Nigeria, otherwise Somalia will be a child’s play. I ask every one of you to be alert and defend your country, defend your territory and defend your state. Defend yourselves because you have no other place to go…God bless our country,” he said.
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