Attack On Fulani In Oyo: FG, SW Govs Must Act Fast To Avert Civil War – ACF
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Saturday reacted at the attack on Fulani Herdsmen at Igandan community in Ibaraba East Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday and called on the Federal Government and the South-west governors to act quickly in to avert civil war.
The ACF warned that the authorities must act fast, stressing that if this is not done, there may be counterattacks in the north which may set the country up in flames.
The ACF particularly warned against further attacks on Fulani communities in the Southwest states and demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators of the particularly chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho, whom it noted is the masterminds of the eviction order on the Fulani communities in the area.
The ACF in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Yawe stressed that the ongoing attacks are a recipe for another civil war if not quickly tackled by the governors of the Southwest region and the Federal Government.
In the statement titled; “Stop the drift in the southwest” the ACF said that the 1967 civil war which lasted till 1970 started with attacks and counter-attacks reminiscence of what’s currently happening in the south-west today.
The Northern body demanded for all those involved to be made to face the full weight of the law of the land, adding that the governors of the Southwest and the Federal Government must act swiftly to avert another bout of “avoidable” crisis in the country.
The statement reads in part; “The Arewa Consultative Forum this morning received reports of an attack by Yoruba Youths on Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir, the Serki Fulani in Oyo State.
“In the reports, he was attacked and driven out of his house, eleven cars and his house burnt with his family members now living in the bush.
“There are allegations that one Sunday Igboho an agitator for the Oodua Republic and who issued an ultimatum giving Fulani people seven days to leave Yoruba land is the instigator of the attack.
“The most disturbing aspect of the attack is the allegation that the security agents who were earlier warned about its imminence stood by helplessly as the attack was carried out.
“The ACF is worried about this trend and calls on the Federal and State Governments in the Southwest to move quickly to avert a social upheaval that may destabilize the whole country.
“We recall that the civil war in the 60’s started with attacks and counterattacks like this. The governments must be proactive and stop history from repeating itself.
“Those who carried out these attacks must be apprehended and the due process of the law allowed to take its course,” the ACF lamented.
