- Southwest governors have been called upon to defend the geopolitical zone from invaders
- Prominent Yoruba leaders made the call as the killings across the country continue unabated
- Senator Femi Okurounmu says that the herdsmen can never be allowed to destroy farmlands in Yoruba land
As the spate of killings in Nigeria continues to throw many families in grief, prominent Yoruba leaders on Thursday, July 5, called on all southwest governors and opinion leaders in the region to defend the geopolitical zone from invaders.
Punch reports that the prominent leaders spoke at a peace parley that was organised by a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Yoruba Koya Movement.
NAIJ.com gathers that Senator Femi Okurounmu said that the ongoing killings in Nigeria were allegedly planned by the Fulani elite to capture the country by all means.
He said: “The leader of the Fulani in Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello said in 1960 shortly after independence that this ‘new nation called Nigeria shall be an extension of the estate of our great grandfather, Othman Danfodio, we must ruthlessly prevent a change of government. We must use the people of the Middle Belt as willing tools and the people of the south as conquered territory and never let them rule over us, never let them control their own future.’ So, tell me, what can be more explicit than that? The killings are going unchecked because (President Muhammadu) Buhari has keyed into the Fulani agenda.”
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Also, another elder statesman, Professor Banji Akintoye, called on the Yoruba nation to unanimously speak against the killings by armed herdsmen.
He said: “The southeast is now one against the Fulani oligarchy, so also is the Niger/Delta. Yoruba land must therefore unite, else there would be fire on the mountain. That Yoruba people are accommodating should not be taken for granted.
"We welcome all tribes but they should all be law-abiding; they should not come to destroy our properties. Fulani herdsmen need to be stopped and driven away since they are always causing havoc. They cannot be allowed to destroy farmlands in Yoruba land except they want to rear their cattle peacefully.”
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that Yoruba leaders under the aegis of Yoruba Summit announced their rejection of the federal government's proposal to establish cattle colonies for herdsmen across the country.
The group, which took the decision to reject the proposal at an extraordinary session in Lagos, also called on the federal government to declare the herdsmen as terrorists.
Why President Buhari Cannot Control Killings in Nigeria - Nigerians Cry Out | NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng