The Defence Headquarters has attributed the recent spate of violent attacks in Benue, Plateau, and other parts of Nigeria to foreign herders who have infiltrated the country through its porous borders.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye said linguistic and physical evidence suggests that many of the attackers are not Nigerian nationals.
“When you hear them speak, you can often tell they are not from here. For example, the Hausa spoken in Nigeria differs from that spoken in Mali, the Central African Republic, or Ghana,” Kangye said.
He further explained that their accent and intonation, as well as their hair texture, clearly identify them as foreigners.
When we arrest these herders and terrorists, their speech and even their hair distinguish them from Nigerians. Perhaps only the Shuwa Arabs in Borno State have similar features, but not quite the same,” he added.
Kangye’s comments come amid growing outrage over incessant herder-farmer clashes that have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.
Many victims are now sheltered in Internally Displaced Persons camps across affected states.
