Chief Ayo Adebanjo a leader of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has mentioned that national leader of the All Progressives Congress, and a one time Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, is afraid to speak against the Fulani herdsmen’s crisis to safeguard his 2023 presidential aspiration in order to gain favour in the eyes of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu is deliberately mute on the Oyo and Ondo situations thereby not representing the South-West interests added Adebanjo in a program organised by The Punch titled The Roundtable on Wednesday.
“Everybody is aware who Tinubu is. Don’t bring me to that controversy. Tinubu does not represent us. What has he said about the current happenings in Oyo? When the gunmen killed the Oba in Ekiti, did he say anything?
“He hasn’t said anything that will counter Buhari he is nursing the thought that Buhari will godfather him to be president in 2023. As such, he doesn’t want to say anything to upset him. Of all the governors Tinubu sponsored, Rotimi Akeredolu has the courage to speak up.”
Weeks ago, Fulani herdsmen have been accused of carrying out crimes which includes rape, killings and invasion of farmlands with their cattle in the South-West region, especially in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo state Governor issued a vacation order for herdsmen to depart the state’s forest reserves as part of measures to control the increase in kidnapping and sundry crimes in the state.
Popular Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, well known as Sunday Igboho, had also asked herdsmen in the Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State to move out within seven days.
Speaking on Igboho’s activism on Wednesday, Adebanjo said the activist acted within constitutional provisions of self-help. “What he did is constitutional self-help. Igboho arose owing to the neglect by the constituted authorities to protect the people. Igboho wouldn’t rise up if the Federal Government had arrested the Fulani herdsmen,” he stated.
Further more, the nonagenarian highlighted that Buhari has taken to defending the Fulani herdsmen inspite of reassuring evidence that they are culpable of the heinous crimes perpetrated in the South-West zone instead of protecting the lives of Nigerians.
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He said, “ It is rather an escapist statement to say how do you know they are Fulani? So I won’t fall for the propaganda of that defence of the Federal Government".
“We have been talking about the same issue for the past five years. And when they are nabbed, they will say they are not local Fulani. And you can’t explain how these foreign Fulani came to unleash attacks on your people. You see the absolute dereliction of duty, incompetence and negligence in protecting lives and property as commander-in-chief?"
“These Fulanis have been with us for a very long time, so we are used to them that carry sticks not AK-47. We have to ask that why is it now that Buhari is there that there are these crimes. Buhari sees these people carrying unlicensed arms openly yet there are no arrests".
“If you are a competent defender of the Nigerian people, the Fulani herdsmen won’t be committing all forms of atrocities unabated.”
Reviewed by Mgbara Zion Barisuka
on
January 27, 2021
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