He said; “The problem of herders in Nigeria is a very long historical thing. The Nigerian herders don’t carry anything more than a stick and occasionally a matchet to cut down foliage and give it to their animals
President Muhammadu Buhari has again spoken in defense of the Fulani herdsmen, insisting that they do not move around with AK-47 but sticks.
The President said this during the bilateral meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in Washington DC, on Monday.
He said; “The problem of herders in Nigeria is a very long historical thing. The Nigerian herders don’t carry anything more than a stick and occasionally a matchet to cut down foliage and give it to their animals, these ones are carrying AK-47.
“So, people should not underrate what happened in Libya. 43 years of Ghaddaffi, people were recruited from Sahel and trained to shoot and kill. With the demise of Ghaddaffi they moved to other countries and region and carried the experience with them.”
When asked about the derogatory comments of President Trump about Nigeria, President Buhari said he couldn’t comment on it because it was not sure if President Trump indeed made the statement.
Thanking the United stayed for selling the Tucano aircraft to Nigeria, Buhari maintained Nigeria would remain grateful to the United States for agreeing to sell the aircrafts.
He further said that the country is even more grateful to the US for the physical presence of the US military in Nigeria and their actions in ensuring the end of terrorism and insurgency in North Eastern part of the country.
“The commitment of the United States to get rid of terrorism across the world, we have fast earned experience from that and we are grateful for it”, he expressed.