I am your friend, Dr. Charles Apoki. Our nation is passing through very difficult times. From the era of Buhari until now, Nigeria has been struggling, and those who feel the hardship know it best. However, those who benefit from the rot in our system are like houseflies and maggots. Maggots thrive on decay, unaware that the carcass they are feeding on was once alive. Houseflies can perch on and consume anything, and so are those who profit from this broken system while threatening those who speak the truth. If you are one of them, know that your time will come soon.
On March 17, 2025, at 3 p.m., Fulani herdsmen attacked farmers in a place called Power Line in Ondo State, near Owo. Four farmers who had gone to their farms were gunned down. Ironically, these farmers were from Kogi State and Kenya; they had come to Ondo State to farm but met their untimely death. One of the victims was the brother of my mentee, who called me in distress, saying, “Doctor, I lost my brother.” His brother, along with three other farmers, was brutally murdered. Later, I heard that the total number of casualties had risen to five. Some victims were also butchered and dismembered by these herdsmen. One of the slain farmers left behind a mother and two children. What will you tell those children? How will the mother feel? Two of the four farmers were from the same family. They had gone to Ondo to produce food and earn a living but ended up being buried the next day according to Islamic rites at the Okene cemetery.
Shockingly, those who killed them will still call the name of Allah. In Bayelsa State, there was a protest at the Maranatha area in the capital because herdsmen were defiling women and injuring people. When the youths attempted to defend their community, they were attacked. The same scenario played out in Delta State, Enugu State, Ebonyi State, Edo State, and Benue State. In Plateau State, Fulani militia invaded farmlands, causing mass panic. There was a viral video showing them uprooting cassava and feeding it to their cattle. Another part of the video showed cows feasting on maize in someone’s farm. A dark-skinned man in the footage claimed that they had paid the community head to graze in that area.
I have always said that community leaders who sign agreements with these herdsmen are complicit in this crisis. They collect money, issue receipts, and allow the destruction of farmlands, fuelling conflict in the process. I saw a case in Delta State where a Fulani herdsman displayed a receipt proving that they had paid to graze in a particular community. How can we allow this? Something is terribly wrong with Nigerians—wrong with the leaders in these communities and wrong with the security agencies, particularly the governors of these states.
I saw the governor of Bayelsa State making promises, saying that the full weight of the law would be applied. But anytime I travel through the East-West Road, I see cows grazing freely from Ughelli to Warri. Is it now that they suddenly realize there is an anti-grazing law? I am ashamed. Why do we always wait for things to turn into emergencies before taking responsibility? This is a fundamental problem with the black man.
Mr. President, declare a state of emergency on Fulani killer herdsmen! Deploy the military to comb our forests and flush them out. The Ministry of Livestock should open ranches for them in their regions of origin. Let them stay there, breed their cattle, and transport them for slaughter when necessary. In Brazil and Argentina, they have far more cattle than Nigeria, yet they do not destroy crops. You cannot attempt such destruction in the United States, Australia, or any country with a functional system and armed citizens.
The real emergency in Nigeria is not what some people are focusing on—it is the growing insecurity. I will soon do a video analyzing the current state of our armed forces. A certain humiliating video I watched needs to be addressed.
I remain Dr. Charles Apoki. And to the houseflies and maggots who threaten people for speaking the truth, be warned. If you have the courage, call with your real number, and we will see you at your doorstep. This country belongs to all of us, and we must speak out against the injustices plaguing our land.
God bless you.
