Yoruba leaders’ threat against Fulani herdsmen diversionary – Falana

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Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Sunday picked
holes in the threat by some Yoruba elders to banish Fulani
herdsmen from the South-West following a recent kidnap of a
former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu
Falae, in a suburb of Akure, the Ondo State capital.
He described the directive of the Yoruba elders as diversionary
and escapist solution.
Falana said in a statement on Sunday, “This is not the time to
resort to diversionary or escapist solutions to manmade
problems.  The ruling class should be compelled to address the
challenges of establishing livestock, grazing reserves, ranching
and modernisation of pastoralist or nomadic livelihood in line
with the aforesaid recommendations.”
Falae was released four days after his kidnap upon payment of
a ransom by his family to the kidnappers, who the ex-SGF was
sure were Fulani herdsmen.
Barely two weeks after he was released, the herdsmen again led
their cattle into his farm, destroying his crops.
Falana argued that the recent kidnap of Falae only added “a new
dimension to the kidnap saga in the region” as he tried to situate
the criminality in the same context of the October 2010 kidnap
of a traditional ruler and a college provost in Ekiti State and the
abduction of the wife of Osun State Speaker in Osogbo about the
same time.
He recalled that the wife of Osun State Speaker was later found
by a vigilance group in Ogun State and that shortly after that, the
then Chairman of Ejigbo Local Government Area of Lagos, was
kidnapped and was only released upon th payment of N15m
ransom.
He said, “Instead of calling on the security agencies to enforce
the law by arresting and prosecuting the group, some Yoruba
leaders threatened that the South-West region would secede
from Nigeria if Fulani nomads were not banned from entering
the region!
“It is unfortunate that the senior citizens, who issued the threat,
did not address the legal implications of their demand. It ought
to be pointed out that every Nigerian has a constitutional right
not be expelled from any part of the country.”
Falana said the threat against the Fulani herdsmen in the South-
West would not solve the problem until far-reaching measures,
such as proactive intervention by the police as well as
establishment of modern livestock production by state
governments, were adopted.
He added, “It is on record that not less than 10,000 heads of
cattle are consumed in the South-West daily. Majority of the
heads of cattle are brought in malnourished, having been made
to walk hundreds of kilometres from the northern part of the
country.
“Instead of issuing threats, the Yoruba leaders  ought to have
mobilised the South-West state governors to set up ranches and
abattoirs for the production and distribution of meat in the
region.”
 He said Falae was part of the 2014 National Conference where
it was recommended that long term cattle routes and grazing
reserves be phased out to lay emphasis on ranching and that
states which have large livestock populations should “endeavor
to maintain grazing reserves.”
He added, “For instance, through a PPP arrangement a modern
abattoir, the largest in Africa, was built in Ibadan, Oyo State in
2011.
“But due to some inexplicable reasons the state government has
refused to allow the abattoir to function.
“The Ekiti state government once had a ranch. It was
established by the Adekunle Ajasin government in the second
republic. But it has since collapsed due to lack of maintenance.”
He called on the police to “move speedily to dislodge the
bandits, who have seized Chief Falae’s farm”.
Falana stated, “The Yoruba leaders should consult with the
South-West state governors with a view to addressing the
increasing wave of insecurity of life and property in the region.