AFNewsNG
Latest Breaking News In Nigeria

HOT! Buhari says Akeredolu can’t order herders out of Ondo forests (READ DETAILS)

0

The Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has cautioned Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, aagaisnt the eviction of herders in the state’s forest reserves.

Akeredolu had on Monday, January 18, 2021 ordered herders out of the state’s forest reserves in seven days over secuirty concerns.

The governor said the decision was one of numerous major steps to address the root cause of kidnapping and other crimes in Ondo.

He said numerous accounts from kidnap victims have indicated that most kidnappers masquerade as herdsmen and use the forest reserves as hideouts for their operations.

President Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, condemned the governor’s directive in a statement released on Tuesday, January 19.

READ ALSO  Governors Raise Concerns Over NNPC Ownership

The presidential spokesperson said Akeredolu is knowledgeable enough to realise he cannot unilaterally remove thousands of herders who have lived all their lives in the state on account of the infiltration of the forests by criminals.

Even though he stressed the government’s stand against crime committed by anyone, Shehu said the constitution guards against actions such as the one employed by the Ondo governor.

He remarked that it is important to dissociate crime from any problematic colourations with entire groups based on ethnicity, geographical origins, and religion.

READ ALSO  BREAKING: Naomi Silekunola Steps Down As Wife Of Ooni of Ife, Give Reasons

“There is little to be said other than to call for restraint on both sides and urge the state government and the leadership of the Fulani communities to continue their dialogue for a good understanding that will bring to an urgent end, the nightmarish security challenges facing the state,” the presidency said.

In addition to the eviction notice, Akeredolu had also banned night grazing, effective immediately, noting that it usually leads to destruction of farmlands.

He also outlawed underage grazing, and prohibited the movement of cattle within cities and highways.

Monday’s restrictions on grazing in Ondo has reopened long-standing debates about open grazing in the country.

READ ALSO  ABIA 2023: APGA To Flag-Off Campaign, December 22 | READ MORE DETAILS

A few other states have placed a similar ban on open grazing as a measure to reduce conflicts between nomadic herdsmen, usually Fulani, and local farmers whose crops are usually destroyed by cattle.

The conflicts have led to hundreds of lives lost and property destroyed, especially in the nation’s Middle Belt, with herdsmen usually blamed as the aggressors.

The Federal Government’s attempted interventions into the contentious issue have failed to provide a lasting solution, but cases of bloodshed have reduced over the past year.

Watch What's Trending!

 

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.