Northern elders’ position shameful, disappointing – Agbekoya

*Advises NEF to address issues of criminal herdsmen killing, raping, kidnapping, other acts of banditry

THE guild of farmers from South-West known as Agbekoya Farmers Society of Nigeria has lambasted the northern leaders over “their unguarded utterances.”

The call by NEF for herders to return to the north, said the guild, is shameful and disappointing because the Northern elders did not address the issues of growing insecurity in the South which their people, the herdsmen, have been alleged to have greatly contributed to.

Speaking after the emergency meeting of the National Executive Council and the Iwarefa-in-Council of Agbekoya, its President-General, Chief Kamorudeen Okikiola, also criticised the northern leaders for always claiming that the entire country belong to the Fulani race.

Okikiola said this kind of claim reeks of ethnic superiority and expansionist agenda, adding that “unguarded hate speech” are likely to stoke embers of ethnic crisis.

Okikiola said: “Southerners and the Yoruba people in South-West have been living with Fulani herdsmen for many years without any problem.

“But the sudden change in the events and circumstances, especially the issues of destruction of farm products by cattle, kidnapping and killing of farmers and innocent citizens by armed Fulani herdsmen and bandits brought about a twist and turn around in the relationship between the Southerners and the Fulani.

“Northern leaders should address the issues of herdsmen carrying firearms and other weapons, kidnapping and collection of ransoms, raping and killing of innocent people in the villages.

“Yoruba people are always ready to live with other tribes, but not with criminals.

“Agbekoya calls on the Northern leaders to find positive and lasting solutions to the problems of armed Fulani herdsmen, bandits, and kidnappers who are killing innocent people all over the South and South-West rather than asking them to come back home.”