From Teryima Ajijah, Jos
Following a seven-day ultimatum issued to herdsmen to leave Ondo State by Governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), a Fulani youth group has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the said governor to order.
National President of the Fulani Socio-cultural Youth Group, Jon Jam, Alhaji Saidu Adamu Maikano, said his members will not vacate Ondo State, because the governor has no right to send his members parking from the state. “Constitution of Nigeria gives right to every citizen of the country to live in any part of the country without harassment by anyone,” he said.
It will be recalled that Governor Akeredolu (SAN), recently gave a seven (7) day ultimatum to herdsmen in that state to leave because the said group of persons were not living peacefully with their host communities.
The herdsmen are being accused of perpetrating most of the crimes in the state, including grazing at people’s farm at night and destroying crops; and are being suspected to be kidnap kingpin.
Alhaji Maikano noted that the governor should have engaged suspected criminal elements among the herdsmen, rather than order that the entire herdsmen should vacate the state. He viewed the ultimatum by the governor of Ondo state as a violation of the fundamental human rights of herdsmen to live.
According to the leader of the Fulani youth group, every tribe has criminals among them, therefore, not the entire herdsmen living in Ondo state that are criminals.
Maikano expressed fears that if the governor will not be cautioned by higher authorities, there is tendency of a reversal of such ultimatum in some parts of the Nigeria, because Yoruba speaking people who are living in Fulani dominated states might be issued similar matching order.
