Afenifere to ACF: Call criminal elements among Fulani to order

The Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has asked the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to call the criminal elements among the Fulani in the South-West to order rather than threaten with another civil war in Nigeria.

It described the ACF’s statement on the crisis in the South-West as insulting and arrogant.

On Friday, some houses inhabited by the Fulani in Igangan in the Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State were torched.

The incident took place after Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, addressed his supporters in Ibarapa on Friday after his seven-day eviction notice served on herdsmen had expired.

The ACF later issued a statement that the reported attacks on the Fulani in the South-West could trigger another civil war if government failed to act swiftly.

But the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said the ACF could not threaten the South-West with a civil war.

“While we have gone to a great length to sue for peace and have appealed to our pained people to be law-abiding even with the daily provocations of the Fulani and harassment of our people, we frown on the very arrogant and insulting ACF statement, especially their reference to the event of 1966,” Odumakin said.

“We must make it clear to them that they cannot threaten us with a war at this stage as we will not provoke war but never are we going to run for anybody on our land.

“We are miffed that a body like ACF that has never shown any remorse over the killing of our people can open their mouths anyhow now because there are consequences for the irresponsible actions of their people.

“We advise them to call their criminals to order and not expect our people to sheepishly wait to be killed by those who value cow lives more than human beings.

“We do not want a repeat of 1966 event but if there are people plotting such event again, the rain will be over their heads.”