Armed invaders want to take over indigenous land, Gen Danjuma warns Nigerians
Says invaders armed to the teeth
By Samuel Ogunsona
Armed groups across the country have one single motive: to take by force of arms indigenous territories.
This position is coming from former Minister of Defence, Lt. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd).
He said the Federal Government should be held responsible for the blood that flows in the land.
The former Chief of Army Staff spoke when he attended the instalation of the new traditional ruler in Junkun land. Danjuma is Junkun and was a special guest at the installation of His Majesty, Manu Ishaku Adda Ali, MATAKHITSWEN, the 25th Aku Uka. The Wukari led a multi-ethnic state which flourished in the 16th century until the Jihad of 1804 dismantled the nation-state.
He urged the King to unite his people, organise them to ensure their ancestral land was not taken by armed bandits.
He said he would not supply arms to his people but urged them to find out how the bandits source their own arms.
Danjuma said “Right now we are sitting ducks; these people are armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction; and we don’t have. But we have the numbers and the land belongs to us.
“They are trying to colonise us and take over our land. We must defend ourselves.
“But how did they get here? Most of them are foreigners. Of course, we know there are collaborators among them; some of them may be even here.
“So my prayer is that God Almighty Who has given us this land will give us the courage to face up to our enemy and locate where he is and rout him out of the country. This we must do, otherwise Nigeria is finished.
“As a soldier, my training teaches me that the best defence is attack.”
He said when he raised the alarm some years ago, the Federal Government accused him of lying after which a committee was set up to investigate his allegations. He said he refused to attend to the invitation insisting there were people in the Government that collude with the armed invaders.
He said, “Our country is under siege by armed bandits. I recall a few years ago, I said that the armed forces were either not capable or unwilling to protect us and that we must defend ourselves.
He spoke further “The first denial came from the Ministry of Defence; they said I was lying and they set up a kangaroo board of inquiry to investigate the truth or otherwise of what I said; and they invited me to come and testify. I did not go.
“They wrote that report which said that I was only speculating and there was no evidence. And now there is evidence.
“The whole country now is being run and overrun by armed bandits; and one clear thing that is happening is that these foreign invaders they are not even Muslims. A lot of the casualties inflicted on the land are all Muslims.
“But they were allowed to come into the country by our government.
He said “We are surrounded by people who do not wish us well; those who want our land.
“We must always bear in mind that the defence of our land is your responsibility. Your Majesty, you heard what I am saying; you must unite our people,” he stated.
At the event were the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong; the Sultan of Sokoto and other traditional rulers in Nigeria