Forest guards, farmers and commercial drivers in Akure have staged a protest on Thursday in support of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s order for Fulani herdsmen to vacate the state’s forest reserves in seven days.
The protesting crowd blocked the streets and carried placards telling their governor not to rescind his directive.
Speaking at the protest, chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Comrade Jacob Adejo, said commercial drivers were no longer safe in the state.
It will be recalled that on Tuesday, there was a statement from the Federal Government saying that the governor is not expected to oust Fulani herders from Ondo forests or he will go against the constitution of the country.
There have been reactions from various quarters including the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, which has asked South-West governors to support the Ondo State governor, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime “represents only Fulani interests against those of Yoruba, Igbo, Junkun, Ijaw and other tribes in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has asked the Fulani not to leave the forest reserves, describing Akeredolu’s order as provocative.
The NEF Director (Publicity and Advocacy), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
The statement reads, “It has, however, become necessary to speak at this stage and offer advice before mischief makers capitalize on the issue to compound our existing challenges around security and co-existence.
“Governor Akeredolu is a senior lawyer who should know that the constitution does not give him the power to deny any Nigerian the right to live where he chooses if he does not break the law in the process.
“His duty to protect and improve the security of citizens and all people in Ondo State cannot be challenged. Indeed, all governors need more support to improve their responses to security challenges which citizens face. Nonetheless, no Nigerian has the power to take punitive action against citizens on political grounds.
“The forum urges the Fulani community in Ondo to stay where they are and continue to be law-abiding. They should collaborate with all legitimate authorities to police their communities against criminal elements, but they should resist moves to be labelled entirely as criminals.