Wole Soyinka: 'Herdsmen don bring war come we domot'

Nobel Laureate and prominent South West leader leader Prof Wole Soyinka say herdmen don declare war for Nigeria.

Prof Soyinka tok as e react to di herders-farmers crisis wey dey rock di south west of di kontri and wey don turn issue in di last few weeks.

For exclusive interview with BBC Pidgin, di nobel laureate add say di fact say di herders continue dia acts of destruction and violence with impunity na sake of say dem feel say na dia pesin dey power.

"We get enemy wey believe to dey act anyhow, dem believe say dem get immunity say nothing fit happun to dem and dat na why for my own state, you get soldiers wey don take di side of di enemy.

Dem dey actually escort killers, rapists, raiders and dey beat and flog victims. Dat one no go happun if di pipo don dey conscious of di nature of di enemy and don dey permitted and encouraged to mobilise on dia own behalf and collaborate with di security." Prof Soyinka tok.

Prof Soyinka tok dey come weeks afta Ondo State Govnor Rotimi Akeredolu bin give herders ultimatum to vacate di forests of di state.

Di decision to send herders comot from di forest or make dem register for di state come as di rate of kidnapping and crime inside di state dey increase and fingers dey point towards di herdsmen.

Since di day dis order come from di govnor, e cause a lot of reactions, from di presidency, key stakeholders and di citizens.

But Prof Soyinka say e no surprise say tins reach di way e dey now as dem don see am dey come since.

"I don dey shout about am quietly and loudly, even make I use dis opportunity say I seek and obtain audience with di security, di late Azazi for instance wen I observe di deep penetration into society of enemy forces, real killer forces, You know I dey live partly for di forests, I dey enta with my fellow hunters and we don see di destruction, we see ordinary citizens, former military officers.

We see how herdsmen rubbish dia farms we even get di notorious instance wen dem kidnap Olu Falae, dem don threaten im farms long before dat, all dis we see before and we don dey draw ear give security, di govnors, say dis pipo dey come close, we shout wen e be Benue , Plateau and odas and now e don reach our doorstep."

We wait until dem rape pipo wey don dey happun already casually? Wetin dem want make we do now wey di war don reach our doorstep, of cos civil mobilisation go enta and if we continue to dey wait for di centre to handle am, all of us go become slaves for our own land if e never already happun .

And dat one no be something wey dey tolerable, na unacceptable condition and whatever e take I dey ready to contribute in anyway and I don make my govnor understand say we dey here not just to live but in dignity, right now dem dey rubbish our dignity with wetin dey happun." Prof Soyinka tok.

As for how di mata go end, di prof say im biggest fear na say Nigeria fit enta a phase of fight-fight wey fit turn very violent and fit turn into civil war.

"We fit enta a phase of fight-fight wey fit become very violent, turn into ... I hate to use di word - fit develop into civil war and very messy one. And unless dem take action, I dey glad say govnors dey take action and pull groups like Miyetti Allah, to do tok-tok and dem don dey tok about agreeing to obey di rules, I dey glad say di various groups dey come togeda and I think say we need to force dem to come to conclusion wey go dey fair."

"I hope say dem fit reach conclusion so dem go disarm dem back to wia we dey before wia herdsmen dey share food with me before for forest wia na only stick and radio dem dey carry before." Prof Soyinka tok.

Wetin President Muhammadu Buhari Suppose Do?

On top wetin President Buhari need to do now to stop di palava, Prof Soyinka say e need to address di nation.

"Address di nation. In very strong clear terms, say openly, yes I know say I be di patron of di cattle rearers association, I be cattle rancher, na business and I dey run my business on business terms. I no dey kill, rape, torture or displace pipo or occupy dia land wey no belong to me and I dey warn all business pipo for di food commodity chain, all cattle rearers, anything una eye see for illegal occupation or trespassing on oda pipo property na una business, and I dey order army, security forces to back di efforts of citizens to flush una out.

I no expect anything less, e don late already even at dis stage but e no too late, dis na di language I expect from President Buhari and as long as e no do dis wan, I go see am say e get hand for wetin dey happun becos na ontop im table di last order stop." Di prof tok.

Click here to watch di full interview with Prof Wole Soyinka.