Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland warns: ‘enough is enough’, if we are attacked by herdsmen, we will defend ourselves
Gani Adams, Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, said there is far too much tolerance of herdsmen extremism in Yorubaland and promised to step up the fight against them.
“Historically, the Yoruba are known to have the capacity to defend themselves. These killers are testing waters by burning the farm of Chief Olu Falae and invading the farms of prominent people in the South-West, he said in a statement Thursday.
“We will no longer accept activities of this murderous gang in Yorubaland. Enough is enough”.
“The diplomacy of the Yoruba on national issues, especially when it borders on security, should not be misconstrued for cowardice.
“The first fundamental right of a Nigerian is the right to life. It is when you are alive that you can enjoy other rights. Once this right is taken away from you through killings and murder, you cannot enjoy any other right. Nigerians demand Right to Life. More than a thousand Nigerians have been killed in the last one year. Is Nigeria at war? There is more to all these killings.”
” It is part of our nature to accommodate people from other ethnic nationalities but now, our people cannot go to their farms again because of the fear of the unknown. The Federal Government must immediately check activities of these killers to avoid plunging the country into an avoidable war.
“There is no war in Nigeria, there is no famine, no earthquake, but the number of IDPs in the country is more than what obtains in a country where war is going on. Murder of Nigerians, including pregnant women and children continues everyday. What is really going on?
“Utterances from government officials such as the Defence Minister, Brig–Gen. Mansur Dan–Ali (retd), and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, are not helping matters. One wonders if we are in the same country.
“Peace and security cannot be guaranteed where there is no justice. To enforce the law, security agents must ensure justice for all and sundry. Nigerians were shocked to wake up on New Year Day and hear the news of killings in Benue State. Now, Nigerians living in Nasarawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Kogi and others don’t feel safe. Senseless killing is like cancer and if not quickly checked, the situation can lead to a complete breakdown of law and order because Nigerians have the right to defend themselves.
He also condemned the killing of the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Saki Unit, of Oyo State Police Command, by herdsmen.
Adams called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently mandate security agents to, “arrest the blood-thirsty maniacs on the rampage in the country, masquerading as herdsmen, and bring them to justice, to avoid a total breakdown of law and order.”