The Northern Elders Forum have in a press statement expressed disbelief at the directives of the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu. The Governor earlier gave an ultimatum for all nomads occupying the forest reserves of the state to vacate due to the heightened insecurity within the state.
The Northern Elders Forum have now retorted that the Fulani Community are in their ‘lawful location‘, in addition, that the said governor is a senior lawyer and should know foremost that any Nigerian has the right to live wherever they so choose and as such no punitive action can be used to threaten the citizens.
The Forum labelled the directives as provocative and unhelpful. They also brought up the issue that the Fulani do not enjoy legal immunity wherever they go and the directive will only go to show that the Fulani community is unsafe and unwelcome in some parts of the nation.
Following all the arguments iterated within the press statement signed by the Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, they have urged the state governor to indeed protect all the residents within the state and instructed the Fulani’s to stay where they are, instead of treating them as criminals.