Nigerians have reacted to a statement credited to former Minister for Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma urging Nigerians to defend themselves against herdsmen.
Danjuma, while speaking on Saturday at the maiden convocation ceremony of Taraba State University in Jalingo, advised citizens to rise against ethnic cleansing.
Some Nigerians have applauded Danjuma for speaking out against the killings.
However, others have condemned the former general and accused him of killing Nigerians during Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime.
Here are some comments gathered by DAILY POST:
@Femiakandetvc “When Gen. TY Danjuma warns against a systematic ethnic cleansing carried out by murderous herdsmen in collusion with @HQNigerianArmy, we know that there is fire on the mountain…It will be extremely difficult to discountenance the opinion of the Army General (Rtd)
@TY Danjuma speaks the truth.Buhari is weak, the Military is compromised. Herdsmen are running people out of their abode and Buhari does nothing but look and make others are disregarded.
@Royaljosh “By morning or mid day, the APC will condemn Gen TY Danjuma. Some leaders will even describe his statements as hate speech and treasonable. Were Bill Gates a Nigerian, they’d have said the same things of him. The silent murmurs of weary Nigerians is what TY Danjuma said loudly.
@MrAyeDee “Having listened and re-listened to TY Danjuma, for him to say the Armed Forces are the enemy of the people, colluding with armed bandits to kill Nigerians and for people to resort to self-help, one thing is clear, he’s calling for chaos and anarchy. This is not healthy.
@Valmary “The only people I see criticizing TY Danjuma on Twitter are only the Fulani people. Sometimes I wonder if their small brains have not told them that they have made more enemies than friends in Nigeria with their arrogant posture.
@Babajnr “The problem is I don’t think TY Danjuma is clean as far as insecurity in Taraba is concerned, he owns that state, he determines almost everything that happen politically in Taraba state, i am not comfortable with this government, but TY Danjuma should just leave us alone.
@Onuebeke “TY Danjuma has no moral locus standi to condemn what is going on because it is a continuation of the antecedent him and his colleagues set in the progrom of 1966.
@Dantin_philemon “Whether we like it or not TY Danjuma spoke the truth.
@Paulibechoe “I share in TY Danjuma’s opinion that, Nigerians should protect themselves against violence by herdsmen.
@Mazidan “What TY Danjuma said is what folks have been saying since, so it is not about TY Danjuma, it is about #Truth. Anyone in Nigeria depending on the Nigeria Army for his safety from Boko Haram or Fulani herdsmen, will just die like a chicken. Better to die defending yourself.
@Tawah89 “TY Danjuma has rattled both the Military Brass and Political Elites. No one saw this coming there’s pandemonium everywhere.
@Nurudah “Poor Nigerians, TY Danjuma should first of all get rid of soldiers in his car, houses and office before making use of his advice.
@Softschemer “TY Danjuma was chief of Army staff to Obasanjo…they are part of those who ruined this country from way back. Good to know the foundation they laid in the Army. Nonsense.
@Superpraise “What other voice no we need to hear? Bill Gates spoke on our faulty economic system, now TY Danjuma has spoken on our insecure country.. What else do we need to hear to fix things up as a country? If these voices cannot be adhered to can we say we have a government?
@Flynigerian “Even after staging a coup and confiscating oil wells for himself. please talk of someone else TY danjuma is not someone anyone should emulate. he contributed to the mess we find ourselves today in Nigeria.
@Mrayedee “New fans of TY Danjuma, As Defense Minister under Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2003) the Nigerian military wiped out Odi and Zaki Biam on his watch. He has absolutely no moral right to castigate the Armed Forces for being engaged in anti people activities.
@Hofoma “What did Danjuma do for Nigeria? Killed Aguiyi Ironsi, got oil block, made $600,000,000 fortune.
@Arcmiyi “But baba TY owns oil block and is a shareholder in all our intelligence agencies. Poverty is the cause of half the insecurity problems. If TY can share some of the national wealth he alone controls, perhaps a few more people will be less poor and less drawn to crime.
Source: dailypost.ng