The presidency has reacted to the directive of Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who gave herders a seven-day ultimatum to vacate forests in the State.
Picture Caption: Fulani herdsmen
The governor, who said the decision was taken as a result of rising insecurity in the state, added that “bad elements” have turned the forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransom and carrying out other criminal activities.
But reacting in a statement on Tuesday, the presidential spokesman,
Garba Shehu, said the action could set off a chain of events “which the makers of our Constitution foresaw and tried to guard against”.
He called for restraint on both sides and urged 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”.
Shehu said while the presidency would not condone any form of criminality, it is cruel to define crime from the “nameplates, as a number of commentators have erroneously done – which group they belong to, the language they speak, their geographical location or their faith”.
“We want to make it clear that kidnapping, banditry and rustling are crimes, no matter the motive or who is involved. We need to delink terrorism and crimes from ethnicity, geographical origins and religion—to isolate the criminals who use this interchange of arguments to hinder law enforcement efforts as the only way to deal effectively with them”.
Shehu said the president, who swore to defend the constitution, has spoken against groups which issued threats capable of sparking tension in the country.
