The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has said that no eviction order was given to the Fulani herdsmen in Ondo State or indeed any part of the South West region.
The Forum blamed social media for misinterpretation of a speech by Ondo Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, which it said was only directed at government reserve including registration.
Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Chairman of NGF, made the declarations in Akure, the Ondo State capital, at a meeting with the national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
Other governors that attended the meeting included those of Ondo, Osun, Oyo, and Jigawa, and Kebbi states.
Dr. Fayemi noted that the statement generated a lot of hoopla which led to what he described as unfortunate development in Oyo State.
In Oyo State, an activist, Sunday Igboho, ordered the Fulani herdsmen to quite his area of the state, insisting that they were responsible for the rising tide of kidnapping in the place, with their leader a beneficiary of the proceeds from kidnapping.
He said Akeredolu didn’t talk about herdsmen vacating the state but about registration of herdsmen who want to operate within the reserves.
“Many members of MACBAN were born in the South-West. So, Akeredolu cannot ask Fulani to vacate Ondo State. The area concerned is the forest reserves and it is about registration and also to work in line with the law.
“What we are after is the criminals, not Fulani herdsmen, criminals are criminals irrespective of their ethnic group.”
The meeting continues.
