•One killed, shops razed as Yoruba, Hausa clash in Ibadan
•DPO shoots Amotekun operative for arresting Fulani herdsmen
•Northern elders raise alarm over plot by elites to incite violence
Ibe Pascal Arogorn
A farmer , Sunday Ahmed and two of his friends were working on Ahmed’ s farms at Owobamigbe village in the Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State on January 21, 2020, when some herdsmen allegedly appeared with cattle to graze on the farm . But Sunday and his friends resisted them especially as they had just planted some crops .
A fight ensued and the armed herdsmen overpowered Ahmed and his friends . The two friends fled to inform members of the community but Ahmed was unable to escape and he was allegedly seriously inflicted with machete cuts by the herders.
Ahmed said , “ On that day , around 2 pm , I was working on the farm alongside two of my friends when we suddenly saw the herdsmen leading their cattle into my farm . We challenged them to get the cows away from the farm. But instead of leaving , they brought out machetes and started chasing us . It was when I fell down while running that they inflicted machete cuts on my leg . The herders were three and armed . ”
Similarly , in Obasooto community in the Idanre Local Government Area of the state, another farmer identified as Idowu Olatuja is counting losses as some herders took their cows to graze on his farm . The cows allegedly ate up the cassava, pineapple , plantain and cocoyam in his farm in one night. He said he wept like a baby when he got to his farm the next day and saw the level of destruction done by the cows.
Olatuja added , “ The herdsmen first invaded my wife ’ s farm with their cows 10 days earlier and returned to destroy my farm and the rest of my wife ’ s farm. ”
Apart from grazing cows in farms, some criminal herdsmen have been accused of kidnapping, killing , maiming and raping in many parts of the South – West. The situation led to the order by the Ondo State governor , Rotimi Akeredolu , to the herdsmen on January 18, 2021, to vacate forest reserves within seven days. The governors in the region also met with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria over the matter and agreed to ban all forms of open grazing in the South – West. The governors had earlier established Amotekun through the Western Nigeria Security Network to tackle the festering insecurity in the region.
Killer herdsmen were said to be responsible for the death of Mrs Funke Olakunri, daughter of the leader of the Yoruba socio- cultural organisation, Afenifere , Chief Reuben Fasoranti, in 2019, a former captain of the country’ s scrabble team, Paul Sodje and ex -Assistant Registrar of the Federal University of Technology , Akure , Pastor Amos Arijesuyo.
Some farmers in the state have lamented the destruction of their farms by herdsmen , noting that the development was threatening farming. A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Chief Olu Falae , has been a victim of criminal herders. Apart from being kidnapped in 2015, Falae, who is also a former Minister of Finance , was said to have lost a substantial amount of money to the herdsmen .
In a recent interview , Falae said , “ It is 32 years that I started operating the farm . And the cattle and their owners became a veritable threat or tool for harassment in the last four to five years . At first , they would come in the night to drink water. We were tolerant and they did not stay there .
“ We told them , just drink water and go ; I did not allow them .
Later , they would come in the night, eat our maize and go . I complained to their people more than 10 times . Later still , elements of the same people kidnapped me. They burnt the non- crop area because the grass was already dry. Cows don’ t eat dry grass . They burnt it so that fresh grass will grow . They were already breeding my grass as if it was their land . ”
Also in a Save our Soul letter to the Commander of Amotekun, Chieftainships Adetunji Adeleye, Falae urged the security outfit to save his farm from the incessant invasion by herdsmen . It was gathered that over 100 people work on the farm and any attack on it could affect their livelihoods .
The letter titled, “ Attacks on my farm by Fulani herdsmen , ’’ read , “ In the last few weeks , Fulani herdsmen came into my maize farm twice to eat up and trample large sessions of the farm. I reported the incidents to the state Chairman , Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria , Alhaji Garba Bello, nothing has happened .
“ In the last few days, they have gone to attack my citrus farm by stealing harvested oranges and destroying what they could not carry away. The police on security duty on the farm were sent to drive them away. But they have been coming back every night to attack my workers in our camp, breaking their doors and carting away all belongings . Please let Amotekun save us and our livelihood . They kidnapped me on September 21, 2015; they should not be allowed to do it again . ”
Some communities in the state such as Owobamigbe, Oke Eko , Odoripo , Ogunti and Igbagba among others in the Akure South Local Government area have come under attacks by the criminal herders.
A community head and farmer , Mr Michael Olorunda, said he left the village to the urban centre after cows destroyed his farms located at Itagba community, a suburb of Akure , the state capital. Olorunda said he had lost crops worth millions of naira to the destruction.
He said , “ I planted cassava and cocoyam on my farm but herdsmen invaded it and uprooted them to feed their cows. If we challenge their action they bring out arms to attack us . ”
Another farmer in Owobamigbe village, Mr Anthony Sunday , said for two weeks he and members of his family had stopped going to his farm .
He said , “ We have not been able to go to our farm because armed herdsmen have occupied the land doing what they like on it. I planted yams , cocoyam and cassava but the cows ate all . My child sustained machete cuts when he tried to stop some armed herdsmen from destroying our farms. He was hospitalised . We live in fear and to go to the farm is a problem. ”
Mrs Mary John is another farmer enduring the pain of the destruction of her farm by herdsmen .
She said she could no longer farm, adding “ Life has been tough as we can’ t go to our farms to work . There is no money to feed my children. The government should look into this matter . We are not safe at all . The fear of herdsmen is gripping our communities . ’’
For Mr Ade Gerige , his over 1, 000 heaps of cocoyam and cassava were destroyed by cows led to his farm by herdsmen . He said he cried many times to those in government , noting that nothing was done to save him and his colleagues from incessant attacks by criminal herdsmen .
He stated, “ For the past two weeks, we have not been able to go to the farm because herdsmen have taken over it. If one plants anything, they would go there in the night and destroy it. Even in our house, we don’ t sleep soundly because they ( herdsmen ) can attack us at night. They are dangerous . We want the government to intervene in this matter . ”
A widow and farmer , Mrs Paulina Matthias, who lost her husband four years ago , was not left out of the menace of the criminal herdsmen . She told our correspondent that she used to feed and pay her children’ s school fees from the proceeds from her farm, adding that she could no longer do that after some herdsmen allegedly destroyed her farm feeding their cows with her crops.
She further stated that in the last few months cows ate up what she planted on her farm when the crops had reached the harvesting stage . She disclosed that cocoyam and cassava were the major crops she planted in large quantities for domestic and commercial purposes .
Matthias while narrating her ordeal said , “ Fulani herders always led their cows to my farm which I had been cultivating for a while . They destroyed and ate all the crops I planted on the farm . They didn ’ t leave anything. My children and I had relied solely on what we planned to harvest from the farm but the herdsmen heartlessly and wickedly shattered the plan . Now , we don ’ t know how we will survive .
“ I am a widow . My husband died in 2017. He was killed by some hoodlums who took his motorcycle after he had dropped our children in school . Till today, we didn ’ t know those who killed him . ”
Asked if she knew cows destroyed her farms, Matthias said , “ I started living in Owobamigbe village in 1999 when I got married . I know when cows enter a farm and their pattern of destruction. It was not like this before but in recent times they started their wicked activities . I am convinced that cows destroyed the farm because their faeces and footprints are on the farm . In fact , the herders uprooted the cassavas and yams to feed the cows. ’’
The herdsmen were also said to have heavily dealt with another farmer who identified himself only as Noah . He said he had lived in Owobamigbe village for 10 years without fear of molestation until herdsmen invaded the place and instilled fear in residents in the village with their atrocious activities .
Noah said both the state government and the security agencies were unable to save them from the herders despite frequent reports to them about their criminal acts
. He alleged that the herders’ plan was to forcefully chase them away from their lands and make their cows feed on them .
Noah said , “ We need government ’ s intervention in our village because herdsmen had completely destroyed our farms. We are even scared of going into farming again with what they have done to us . After invading our farms , they also threatened us never to confront them or chase away their cows from our farms . We don’ t have the capacity to fight them . ”
He added , “ I got to the area in 2001 and I have been farming since then . Farming is my source of livelihood . I have no other job except farming. I plant cassava, yam and cocoa . Cows ate the cassavas and yams on my farm . I became a widower in 2019 and I am struggling to cater to my children’ s needs. I watch how I sleep in the house with my children because we fear attacks from the herdsmen . ’’
On efforts being made by the community leaders to resolve the issue , Noah stated that the leaders in the community were aware of the development but cautious not to engage in a fight with the herdsmen .
He said , “ We have reached out to the Amotekun Corps and the police but they are not responding to our cries. One of our leaders in the community , Michael Olorunda, has tried a lot. When the farms were destroyed, he took photographs of the affected farms and submitted them at the office of the Amotekun Corps but no security agent came to the place . The herdsmen have become more daring in destroying our farms as if they are the owners of the land . ’’
The farmers told our correspondent that they sent petitions to Amotekun on the matter and awaiting a response from the security outfit
When contacted on the matter , the Special Adviser to the governor on Security Matters , Jimoh Dojumo, confirmed that his office received petitions from the farmers on the activities of the criminal herders. He noted that the government was dealing with the issues one after the other.
Dojumo stated “ We are not ignoring the cries and petitions of the farmers but there are many petitions we received on a daily basis. We are treating the issues one after the other. Any village we have not reached, it is not that we will not reach there . Our people should bear with us . They should be a bit patient with us . We will get there and resolve the matter .
“ Governor Akeredolu has issued an order and we are going to enforce it to ensure our people live peacefully . There will be an end to kidnappings , killings , banditry and destruction of people’ s farmlands by herdsmen . ”
On his part, Adeleye said the corps had been interfering in many herdsmen /farmers ’ rifts across the state. He said the corps had been sent to the affected areas to assess the level of the destruction of farmlands . He added that the state chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria had been invited towards identifying and arresting herders perpetrating the acts .
“ We are looking into the matter and necessary steps would be taken appropriately, ” the commander said .
The state chairman of MACBAN , Alhaji Garba Bello , said the association would investigate the matter and any herder found culpable would be made to pay for whatever was destroyed .
A public affairs analyst , Mr Rotimi Ogunleye , said the Federal Government was to blame for the atrocities committed by criminal herders, saying the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter was not helping matters .
He said , “ I think the president and those around him must let him know the people accused of perpetrating heinous crimes in the region. He needs to deal with this issue fiercely and transparently. The Fulani and the MACBAN are not helping matters at all . What have they done about counselling their members ? Are there registration and deliberate effort by the legitimate Fulani in the settlements to fish out the bad eggs among them ? What solution manual has the association put on the table?
“ The Fulani dwell more in forests with their cows. Are the known ones helping in curbing the criminality of others ? What makes the bandits and criminal elements continue the acts with daunting boldness? I think the issues are enough to create thousands of Sunday Ighohos ( A Yoruba activist who chased out herders in Oyo State where killer herders were said to be tormenting residents ) . Simply put , where the government fails, the citizens will certainly resort to self -help . ”
Also speaking , a former Commissioner of Police, Mr Samuel Adetuyi, noted that state governments should ban open grazing to avert common occurrence of farmers /herders clashes .
Adetuyi said , “ I think down- to -earth strategies should be further adopted by the state and the Federal Government to curb the crimes . First, open -grazing approach to cattle rearing should be outlawed . Those who want to rear cattle , goats and rams should confine them to a location . When they are ready for sale , they can take the buyers to the markets in an approved setting . Poultry farmers do not allow their chickens to roam about . Dog rearers , grass- cutter and snail farmers carry on their business without becoming a nuisance to others . Confining their trades to a location has been a plus in their business . ”
An agriculturist , Dr Wemimo Ola, said the federal and state governments needed to be more proactive about ( addressing ) the incessant invasion of farms by herdsmen and their cows . He urged the governor to also make pronouncements on the issue of destruction of farmlands by the herders, saying famine was inevitable if the trend continued .
Ola stated, “ I commend Akeredolu for sending the herdsmen out of the government forest reserves to check their criminal activities . But he needs to make another pronouncement to ban herdsmen from allowing their cows graze on farms thereby destroying crops . If nothing is done , that means Ondo State is inviting famine this year . ”
We’ve stopped farming for fear of being raped, killed by herdsmen – Edo women
In an interview with the Punch, a woman from Uromi, Edit Oke said, “We don’ t want the Fulani here anymore. We can no longer go to our farms because the Fulani have taken over our farms. Before now , one person could go to the farm and do her job. But now , a woman can no longer go to farm alone , because when they meet her on the farm , they will rape her , irrespective of her marital status. Sometimes they will climb trees and monitor women who come to the farm with the sole aim of raping them and they also kill such women even after raping them . They have destroyed many things in our farms , we no longer have cassava to harvest , we no longer see anything to harvest.
“As I speak to you , they have killed many people and are still killing people . When you go to the farm , they will chase you away and if you are adamant , they will kill you . We have reported to the police and the Ojuromi ( monarch ) in the past, but they did not do anything about it. That was why we came out to protest against this injustice .
“As far as I am concerned , the Fulani should be sent away because there are no good Fulani in Uromi . We are pleading with the Ojuromi and the government to save us from the hands of the Fulani by sending them away from our land so that we can be free . We are not asking for compensation, we want them to leave our land , that’ s all, ” Mrs Oke said.
Another woman from Edo named Rachel Elimian said Fulani herdsmen have taken them for slaves.
According her, “The Fulani have turned us to slaves in our own land . We want freedom because we can no longer move freely due to the atrocities they are committing. It is so bad that we can’ t even go to our farms to harvest our crops . We can’ t really estimate the destruction they have done in Uromi . Many people are now living from hand to mouth because of their poor financial situation due to the destruction of their farms by herdsmen .
“It is very bad . Apart from the destruction of our farms , so many lives have been lost. They kill people in their farms ; some women have been raped and many have been injured . Imagine , a man comes home to see that his wife has been raped, how will the man feel? They also take away the woman’ s self – esteem by raping her. Rape is a very big scare for a woman. Considering these atrocities , I can tell you that no Fulani in Uromi is good. Good people don’ t inflict pains on others, ” Rachel lamented.
Herdsmen tormenting us, Ogun community writes governor
Residents of Imeko- Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State have called on the state governor , Dapo Abiodun, to come to their rescue on the alleged incessant killings and destruction of their farms by suspected herdsmen .
This is coming after a farmer , Dele Olowoniyi , and two others were reportedly killed this week by suspected herdsmen .
The residents made their position known in a letter dated February 9, 2021, addressed to the governor and signed by the chairman of the transition committee of the local government , Olusola Oke .
They asked the governor to come to their aid , claiming that they now sleep with their eyes open as they do not know when the herdsmen would come and attack again .
The letter titled, ‘ Situation report on the activities of Fulani herdsmen in Imeko- Afon Local Government Area, Ogun State , save our soul’ , partly read , “ The situation in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area has become a great cause of concern and it is affecting the daily activities of people at Imeko-Afon.
“ Imeko Afon being a border town has so many influxes of tribes of which the Fulani herdsmen have become a threat to lives and property at Imeko-Afon without any recourse to the indigenes . ”
Meanwhile, youths under the auspices of Yewa -North Patriotic Forum have issued a seven – day ultimatum to killer herdsmen in Yewa -North Local Government area of Ogun State .
The youths gave the ultimatum on Friday, 24 hours after suspected Fulani herdsmen killed five persons in Owode -Ketu , Egua in the council area .
The group gave this ultimatum in a press statement tagged, ‘ YNPF to killer Fulani herdsmen : We can’ t condone you beyond seven days ’ and made available to
PUNCH on Friday, in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The president of the group , Sanni Omobolaji , signed the statement
He said villagers had been living in fear and pains of the incessant killings which he said could only be traced to the herders mostly , but refused to fight back , hoping that a quick solution would be proffered after complaints to the government .
The statement read in part, “ As responsible young people in Yewa- North, we have tried to ensure that our coexistence works , even, when we are the legitimate owners of Yewaland but , today’ s gruesome killing of five of our people has shown that killer Fulani herdsmen can only live in their own world .
“ Now is the best time to dissolve the marriage of inconvenience between our people in Yewa- North Local Government and the killer Fulani herdsmen as we cannot condone these criminals beyond seven days in our domain. ”
DPO shoots Amotekun operative for arresting Fulani herdsmen
The Divisional Police Officer at Igbon Police Station in the Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State , Ayodeji Adepoju , allegedly shot and injured a member of the Oyo State Security Network Agency known as Amotekun on Friday.
The DPO , it was learnt , ordered the arrest of two operatives of the Amotekun Corps for arresting herdsmen whose cattle were grazing on the farm in Gambari , allegedly destroying crops in the process .
The aggrieved farmer was said to have reported the case to Amotekun in the area and the herdsmen were arrested.
But some of the herdsmen were said to have reported the case to the DPO who ordered the arrest of the two Amotekun operatives, Jenyo and Olatunji Mayowa , who were investigating the case .
It was gathered that the DPO said the Amotekun was not set up to arrest herdsmen but to go after armed robbers.
The unit Commander of Amotekun in the area , Araoye Amoo, was said to have gone to the police station with his men to secure the release of the two officials .
He was discussing with the station guard when the DPO stormed out of his office and reportedly collected a gun from a policeman and shot one of the Amotekun men in the leg .
The DPO repeatedly claimed that he overheard the Amotekun corps say they were coming to the station to kill him .
The unit commander said one of the Amotekun corps who escaped from the scene was pursued and disarmed.
Araoye said the police checked and discovered that the gun which was forcefully collected from the Amotekun was not even loaded .
The unit commander , in a video said all the guns which his men carried to the station were not loaded because they did not go there to fight but to secure the release of those arrested.
The Amotekun commandant in Oyo State , Col Olayinka Olayanju ( retd ) , confirmed the incident to our correspondent , adding that the injured Amotekun official had been taken to the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.
He said , “ The DPO arrested and detained our men that arrested herdsmen . The unit commander led some of his people there to ask for the release of his men but the DPO was said to have shot them . One of them was injured and he is on admission at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital. ”
The Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State , Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi , later said in a statement the Fulani reported that some Amotekun operatives wanted to set their settlement on fire and some policemen who were deployed there brought the Amotekun men to the police station .
He was however silent on the shooting of the Amotekun operative .
The PPRO said , “ It was a report from the Secretary of Miyetti Allah, one, Oroji Allah ‘ m ’ at Orile Igbon Police Station that some Amotekun operatives planned to set ablaze Fulani ‘ Igaa’ . A team of policemen was sent to the scene and brought them to the station for amicable settlement by the DPO .
“ Not too long , Amotekun corps numbering about 30 invaded the station and conducted themselves in an unruly and riotous manner . Three of them were arrested. The Area Commander Ogbomoso is handling the matter . ”
One killed, shops razed as Yoruba, Hausa clash in Ibadan
At least one person died while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries when Yorubas and Hausas clashed at Shasha, Ibadan, on Friday.
The clash also saw vehicles vandalized, kiosks, shops razed, houses pelted and various other structures destroyed.
An incident on Thursday served as a precursor to Friday’s clash when a Hausa man had altercations with a pregnant woman in front of her shop.
The man was conveying tomatoes, but on getting to the front of the pregnant woman’s shop, it upturned and fell.
This drew the ire of the pregnant woman when he picked the good ones and left the spoilt ones on the ground.
The pregnant woman accosted the man and insisted that he should pack the remaining tomatoes on the ground, but the man refused.
An altercation had ensued with the woman insisting that the man should pack all that was poured in front of her shop.
A shoemaker Sakirundeen Adeola alias Korex had intervened to separate the two only to be hit by the Hausa man and started foaming.
The shoemaker was rushed to the hospital only to be confirmed dead later on Thursday.
To avenge the death of one their own, some Yorubas had on Friday blocked the entry of truckload of tomatoes, driven by Hausas, into Sasha market leading to a clash.
In his account of what led to the clash, a resident of Shasha, Kola Ridwan said, “A shoemaker, Sakirundeen Adeola, who was watching the altercation between the Hausa man and the pregnant woman, left his shop and went to meet the two of them with a view to resolving the crisis.
“Sakirudeen insisted no matter what, the man should not litter the frontage of the woman’s shop. The man got angry and gave the shoemaker a deadly blow. The shoemaker fell and hit his head against a stone. I was told.
“The shoemaker was rushed to the hospital and he died this morning (Friday). This got the friends and family members of the deceased angry and they mobilised to retaliate. The man is from Niger Republic and lives among the Hausa community. Then, the Hausa also mobilised to fight.
“I can confirm to you that no fewer than seven trucks have been vandalised and looted. Also, many houses have been burnt.
“The Hausa have been mobilising from Akinyele to Shasha and the arson has continued in Shasha. If care is not taken, the crisis may degenerate to an unimaginable level.”
The Deputy Director, Oyo State Fire Service, Mr Moshood Adewuyi, who confirmed the incident, said that the fire brigade was not allowed to put out the fire as hoodlums descended heavily on them and their facilities.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, said: “It was a clash between two social miscreants in which one of the miscreant, Adeola Sakirundeen, was hit by the other and died later while receiving treatment in a hospital.
“Massive police deployment and that of the sister security agencies were made to dowse tension. Critical stakeholders have also been consulted to appeal to the people. Normalcy is gradually returning to the area,” Fadeyi said.
He added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mrs Ngozi Onadeko; Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni, and other police tactical teams had visited the scene for on the spot assessment.
Northern elders raise alarm over plot by elites to incite violence
The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has raised the alarm that some elites and elected public officers were bent on manipulating the herdsmen crisis in parts of the country to create fear among Nigerians and cause a major war involving groups and regions.
A statement on Friday by NEF’s Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said there were attempts to create multiple sources of falsehoods and other inflammatory materials related to the herdsmen debacle with a view to inciting the people to act violently against each other.
He said the latest communication from the Yoruba Council of Elders to the United Nation was proof of efforts to also lobby the international community into believing that some ethnic groups were intent on mass extermination of other groups.
So, the Forum advised President Muhammadu Buhari and the 36 State Governors to consult and explore measures that will lower the tensions and assure all Nigerians every citizen has an equal right to live in secure environments.
The statement reads, “The Northern Elders Forum is constrained to invite the nation’s attention to the dangers of sustained attempts to raise tensions and create fear among Nigerians until, presumably, they lead to a major crisis involving groups and regions in the country.
“In the last few weeks, we have led many responsible groups and individuals to appeal for restraint and respect for the law in the way we engineer developments that cause tensions or react to them.
“Now the nation is facing imminent threats from persons who are bent on pushing all of us nearer to disaster, to help them achieve their nefarious goals.
“The Forum particularly notes that continuing narratives and threats, including comments from seemingly responsible Nigerians and even elected officials who swore to protect the rights of all citizens and the survival of the country, are raising fears and passions that could make it easy to break more laws of the land and pitch citizens against each other.
“There are efforts to create multiple sources of falsehood in videos and other inflammatory materials in the media clearly targeted at inciting people to act violently against each other.
“Allegations of planned or actual genocide are being made with reckless abandon, and even the international community is being lobbied in futile efforts to sell the fiction that some groups are intent on mass extermination of other groups.
“The latest communication from the Yoruba Council of Elders to the United Nations is an example of lamentable desperation of some groups to erode our security and integrity as a country, and it is more regrettable that it is the handiwork of so-called elders who should forfeit all rights to that honour.”
“The Forum commits to continue to work to retrieve the country from the dangerous cliff where it has been placed by irresponsible people, many of them in positions of responsibility.”
The Northern elders said they plan to meet with governors in the North and South to improve responsible collaboration and synergy.
“We also intend to visit the communities where we have the influence to lower tensions and provide assurances and comfort.
“We repeat our demands that Fulani who has broken no laws must be protected from abuse wherever they are. We ask all governments to identify criminals among the Fulani and subject them to the laws of the land.
“Similarly, we demand the cessation of threats and attacks by local ethnic defenders on Fulani communities. People who have broken the law by attacking and harassing Fulani for just being Fulani must be brought to book.
“We encourage all law-abiding herders to stay put and seek protection, and if they cannot be protected, to relocate to safer areas in the country.
“We urge northern governors to prepare to receive law-abiding Fulani herders who may be compelled to relocate.
“We urge all northerners to assure Nigerians from other parts of the country that they are safe and welcome to continue to stay in the north.
“The Forum repeats: it is not a crime to be a member of any ethnic group, and no one has the right to attempt to expel any Nigerian from places where they live lawfully.
“The Forum advises President Muhammadu Buhari and Governors to consult and explore measures that will lower tensions and assure all Nigerians that we live in a country where laws have meanings, and all citizens have equal rights to live in secure environments.
“The fight against armed criminals must be pursued on all fronts and a lot more seriously. The criminal must not reap from the suspicions and fears which his activities also generate,” the statement added.
Two killed as herdsmen attacked Ondo Ametekun
Suspected herdsmen have killed two persons during an attack on men of the Ondo state security outfit codenamed Amotekun at the government forest reserve located at Ago Sanusi along Ute Road in Owo, area of the state.
The report had it that the herdsmen laid an ambush for the security personnel who acting on security report stormed the forest reserve to fish out suspected criminal element who reported abducted a farmer identified as Lanre.
Lanre’s corpse was later reportedly found in the forest reserve by the security personnel with both hands chopped off.
Vanguard gathered that another member of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria who joined the Amotekun in the operation was shot in the head by the herdsmen.
The attack on according to findings happened at about 2:00 am.
Vanguard gathered that the herdsmen were armed with AK47, dressed like militiaman men with live ammunition wrapped around their shoulder.
The report had it that the head of Operations of Amotekun in Owo, Oluwasesan Adebayo who led the operation has not been found since the attack.
Adebayo younger brother, Pastor Idowu Adebayo said the family has been in great pain since his abduction.
He appealed to the state government and all security outfits in the state to intervene.
Adebayo said indications have shown that Fulani herdsmen have a secret agenda to take over the state and the entire Southwest
“it is now clear that every part of the state has been invaded by the herdsmen thereby putting indigenes and other residents in great danger.
