Obaseki cautions against politicising farmers, herders’ crisis
EDO State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, cautioned against politicising the herdsmen and farmers clashes in the country and urged nomads to identify the criminal elements among them in the interest of peace.
He said this during a factfinding visit to Udo, Ovia South West Council, where he urged the council leadership to re- introduce the weekly stakeholders’ security meeting in the area.
Obaseki stressed that his administration would not politicise security issues, noting that efforts were being made to resolve the issues to provide lasting security to communities in the state. Speaking at the Palace of the Iyase of Udo, HRH Patrick Igbinidu, Obaseki said: “We are on a fact- finding tour to some parts of the state to access the security situation particularly as it relates to farmers and herders conflicts.
“As a government, we do not believe we should politicise security issues. It is important that we get the facts right and understand what exactly is going on. We had reports about the crisis or impending crisis on this axis.
“We have also had anxieties, but I will call them speculations on social media about herdsmen being pushed from neighboring states into this area and the impending crisis.”
Obaseki, who traced the movement of nomadic herdsmen to climate change, appealed to Nigerians to seek ways of managing herders and farmers’ conflicts rather than politicising the issue.
Responding, leader of herdsmen in the area suggested investigation of the killings and a database for genuine herders as part of measures to check criminal herders in the area.
Igbinidu, the Iyase of N’ Udo and former Chairman of Ovia North East Council, Joseph Amowie, briefed Governor Obaseki and heads of security agencies on the challenges of farmers and herders and steps so far taken to resolve the crisis.
On his part, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Philip Ogbadu, sued for peaceful co- existence among the locals and cautioned herders to streamline their operations towards ending abuses, as well as destruction of livelihoods and economic crops.