The Pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere has called on the United Nations (UN) and President Muhammadu Buhari to launch full scale investigation into an allegation of bias over herdsmen’s killings leveled against the Nigerian military by a former Minister Of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma.
Rising from its special meeting held at the residence of its national leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, Ondo State, Afenifere described the allegation as weighty, damning, and could be linked to an ethnic cleansing.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin noted that if not well probed by the UN and Buhari, such statement by General Danjuma against the military could lead to serious security breaches and lack of trust among various ethnic groups in the country.
Afenifere expressed dismay that nobody had been sanctioned or convicted over incessant herdsmen’s attacks on farmers across the country.
According to the Yoruba leaders, President Buhari must be more decisive in dealing with security issues, hence the need for the federal government to investigate and brought to book any military officer found to be compromising in Benue, Taraba killings and other parts of the country.
The Pan Yoruba socio-cultural group demanded the immediate disarmament of the exclusive terror machine in the hands of the Fulani herdsmen who were alleged to have killed many Nigerians.
The communiqué stated that the Federal Government should also reorganise the security architecture of Nigeria to reflect the federal character it is proclaiming.
According to the communiqué “thousands of people have been killed in the last three years across the country by the Fulani herdsmen without one person prosecuted or brought to book by the federal government.
It stated that if the UN did not rise up to the situation in the country, it will have a big problem in its hand.
The meeting also expressed happiness for the parents of the just released Dapchi abducted school girls, that their daughters have been released to them.
“We are however, distressed that Leah Sharibu is still in the custody of the abductors on issue of refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
It however called on the Federal Government to do the kind of arrangement it did that brought back the Dapchi girls.
They also mourned the passing away of the Chief Idowu Shofola (SAN), who was the leader of the Yoruba Council of Elders ,whom they said had contributed immensely to the Yoruba course in his lifetime.
The Afenifere meeting was attended by Yoruba leaders from Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Lagos and Oyo states including Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae, Basorun Sehinde Arogbofa, Chief Mojisoluwa Akinfehinwa, former governor of Ondo state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Prof Tunde Adeniran and professor Banjo Adetoye among others.
HopeNewspaper