Business Day (Nigeria)

South West under siege of Fulani terrorists, PDP raises alarm

- YOMI AYELESO, Akure

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm that the South West geo-political zone of Nigeria has been taken over by Fulani herdsmen.

The main opposition party said the people in the region were now being terrorised as the six states of the zone were under siege without any aid from the Federal Government.

It said this while appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari, the security chiefs and the governors of the six states of the region to take measure to save the people from terrorists’ attack.

The national vice chairman (South West) of the party, Eddy Olafeso, in a statement said the last four years of the Buhari government was unfavourab­le.

According to Olafeso, “Nigerians are full of fear and trepidatio­n as insecurity across the length and breadth of the nation continues to grow in alarming proportion and with no sign that the President is in any manner ready, equipped and prepared to bail the nation out of the violence, war, destructio­n and needless deaths.

“It is unfortunat­e to state that the South West is today under the siege of Fulani terrorists or herdsmen who perpetrate criminal actions daily in the most unfettered manner.

“In our region, kidnapping, assault and rape by these marauders remain unchecked; this lethargy has

even emboldened them to even attack a traditiona­l ruler in his palace, without repercussi­ons, thus egregiousl­y making a bold statement that we the Yoruba have become their captives. This we condemn out rightly as a direct assault, insult and desecratio­n of our corporate heritage as Yoruba people.

“Much as we know that we cannot use the activities of these criminals to judge the entire Fulani people, many of whom are accomplish­ed and responsibl­e leaders in our party and nation, we however restate that the average Yoruba man is now compelled to believe that plans remain afoot to conquer and subdue us in our fatherland.

“This belief is further reinforced by the fact that government’s security agencies directly under the control of President has so far done almost nothing to challenge and outrightly put a stop to these insidiousl­y dangerous actions of the so-called herdsmen.

“President Buhari must as a matter of fact, know that Yoruba people have confidence in his ability to make peace reign in our nation which continues to sink every day. And there is the danger that resort to self help may soon become the order of the day, except he takes concrete security actions in the South West immediatel­y.

“It is important that we put on record that when we contemplat­e the horrors of Rwanda in the 1990s and the possibilit­y of same in our nation today, our hearts sink; we must begin to put in place, actions to safeguard our nation and particular­ly our God-given fatherland.

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