Afenifere, YCE warn over herdsmen’s attacks

• Attacks threat to our corporate existence

Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) yesterday warned that the incessant attacks on communities and farmlands by armed Fulani herdsmen constitute a threat to the continued existence of the Nigerian nation.

The group, otherwise called Igbimo Agba Yoruba, in a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting, called for the scrapping of nomadic grazing in the 21st century describing it as obsolete.

Its President, Gen Adeyinka Adebayo and Secretary, Idowu Sofola signed the communiqué.According to the elders, “Cattle rearing is a private business and those who engage in it must be duly registered with all relevant state agencies for ease of regulation of their activities and tax purposes.”

Also, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) warned the Federal government to handle terror attacks from herdsmen in the country with utmost sensitivity and justice.

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group in a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary Kunle Famoriyo, deplored the statement credited to chairman Senate committee on agriculture and rural development, Abdullahi Adamu.

ARG berated the statement, which said, “Nobody can stop the government from acquiring land anywhere. Government is government. If anybody thinks he is violent, ‎government has the monopoly of violence.”

The elders maintained that states, which centered on cattle rearing, must be compelled to establish grazing resorts and ranches for their cattle.

It called on security agencies to prosecute those violating the Firearms Act, by promptly arresting and prosecuting perpetrators of the Agatu and Enugu atrocities.

Famoriyo said ARG had just concluded a report, based on a research into the herdsmen-farmers clashes, which will be forwarded to the Federal Government and National Assembly, noting that hardly is there a state in Nigeria, particularly, the 17 southern states that has good tales about herdsmen’s activities.

According to Famoriyo, “Sadly, parochial and irresponsible statements, like Adamu’s, is the latest in a series of media reports in which herdsmen were absolved of their crimes against host communities and their demands advanced as of absolute rights”.

The spokesman said ARG was shocked by the Federal Government’s claim that the herdsmen are foreigners and Boko Haram insurgents when there are verifiable data and reports confirming they are Fulanis from Nigeria.
Nigeria.”