Human rights group, under the aegis of Save Humanity Advocacy Centre, has written the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo over the recent massacre of Fulani Herdsmen in Mambilla, a community in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The group threatened to stage a nationwide protest if justice and necessary action is not taken on the incident. It would be recalled that over 50 persons were on June 18 killed and about 120 houses razed in simultaneous attacks carried out on Fulani herders resident in the area.

Over 200 cows were also killed by the attackers who invaded several villages and settlements.

Comrade Abubakar Ibrahim, Executive Director of the group in a statement issued on Thursday in Kaduna condemned the senseless killings in Mambilla Plateau and ordered reinforcement of security in the area to avert further loss of life. Ibrahim, while acknowledging Osinbajo’s prompt reaction to the unfortunate incident, said he should go beyond that by setting up a panel of inquiry to unravel the root cause of the attack, which he described as sensless.

He said, “We are however at pains to bring to your attention the need to go beyond these initial reactions from Your Excellency since we know the demands of managing the affairs of a country as complex as Nigeria could soon have the tragic incident on the Mambilla Plateau pushed into irrelevance until another rude awakening exposes the culture of ethno-religious intolerance that has become ingrained in our national psyche having been actively promoted by some state actors.

“The Fulani communities in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State have called for the Acting President’s intervention in the wake of the massacre. In a nation that is being ravaged by sponsored violence by highly placed persons, the plight of these communities may not merit special attention but the concerns they have expressed about the attacks against them being an act of genocide calls for a different approach in addressing the Mambilla Massacre.

“It is a development that can complicate matters for Nigeria before the International Criminal Court since indifference from the Federal Government would be construed as acquiescence with a pogrom. A further imperative to investigate the allegation of genocide in Mambilla, Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba state is the domino effect that could result if nothing is done,” said.

The group’s director, said if the attack is left uninvestigated, it would spell future disaster for the country as ethnic cleansing could become a trend that eventually compromises the corporate integrity of the country. “The few states that once allow the folly of ethnic cleansing on their soils are yet to get out the cycle of reprisals till date.

“Without prejudice to what investigation of the massacre will uncover, going preliminary information from stakeholders, the Taraba State Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, the Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Mr. Abel Diah, and authorities of Sardauna Local Govenrment must accept responsibilities for what happened. They must be told the plain truth to make them repent, pay reparation and apologize for what happened or be made to face the ICC.

“Community and traditional leaders in the area must also pay for their indifference to the sufferings of those maimed and their properties destroyed. They too must be made to keep a date with the ICC to serve as lesson to others. “Your Excellency the Acting President, our prayers are therefore that: The attention of the nation and the entire world should be focused on what happened on the Mambilla Plateau as a way of building the consensus that ensures this does not happen anywhere else in Nigeria ever again.

An investigation should be ordered into what happened to identify those that should be punished for this crime. “Your Excellency, the Acting President receives the leadership of the Save Humanity Advocacy Centre and other human rights campaigners in a mass rally on Monday July 17, 2017 to draw attention to the need for ethno-religious tolerance in the country,” Ibrahim added. He further urged the Nigerian government to provide relief materials and compensation be immediately provided to affected persons.