WATCH: “The problem of herders in Nigeria is a very long historical thing” – Buhari
President Buhari, during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, said the killings orchestrated by herdsmen in several parts of the country has a long history.
Buhari blamed the recent herdsmen crisis on nomads who flee into Nigeria from Libya.
The president 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 machete 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,” he said.
He, however, pledged to find a lasting solution to the killings.
Herdsmen have been accused of being behind several senseless killings in the country, with the latest being separate attacks on churches in Benue, in which many worshippers – including priests – were killed.
