THE general assembly of Afenifere, a Yoruba cultural group, at its monthly meeting in Akure on Tuesday, June 26, described the killings in Plateau State as genocide and accused President Muhammadu Buhari of conflict of interest.

The meeting which held at the home of Reuben Fashoranti, its leader, noted that while witnesses reported that more than 200 persons were killed on Sunday, June 24, Police claimed that 100 persons were killed.

“These wanton killings and official irresponsibility portrays Nigeria as a barbaric entity and we Yoruba people are pained living in the same space with the bestial elements who kill innocent people in cruel manner. The images of little children killed mercilessly with open skulls make anyone with human blood flowing in his or her veins to shrink.

“We are further distressed that the response of President Buhari to the murder of hundreds of our citizens did not attract a word of sympathy or regret,” the group said in a press statement signed by Yinka Odumakin, the publicity secretary of Afenifere.

The group said it was greatly infuriated that the president’s response and that of Miyetti Allah appeared to have been written from the same laptop. It said while Danladi Ciroma, the chairman of North Central zone of Miyetti Allah, said the attacks were a retaliation for the loss of 300 cows in the past few weeks. Consequently, Ciroma said: “Since these cows were not found, no one should expect peace in the areas.”

In the same vein, Buhari “who is also the grand patron of Miyetti Allah,” reportedly described the Fulani herdsmen terror as “herdsmen/farmers” clashes “(a case of two fighting but dead bodies only on one side) also repeated the missing cows and even added another charge Miyetti Allah did not remember.

“According to information available to the Presidency about one hundred cattle had been rustled by a community in Plateau State, and some herdsmen were killed in the process. The state governor, Simon Lalong had had invited the aggrieved groups and pleaded against further action …Less than forty eight  hours later violence broke out (an euphemism for the word “retaliation” used by Miyetti Allah Chief .

“The president used the word “thugs” thrice to describe protesting residents while admitting that human life was becoming “increasingly cheap ” under his watch without  saying what he is doing to make it worthy or bring the herdsmen who have admitted killing people to book. He also repeated the blame game of “desperate people ” causing instability and chaos” in furtherance of the vain attempt by the administration to divert attention from Fulani herdsmen responsible for the serial murders.

“Three months ago, we did say that the president is afflicted by conflict of interests as Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is the affliction that has seen him now functioning as a Miiyetti Allah godfather at a time he should be presidential .We asked him and we are calling on him to make a choice between the two.

“It is pointless at this stage making any demand on this incorrigible administration. We ask our people to  have special prayers  for the souls of all those killed  and for God to have mercy on Nigeria in  all our mosques on Friday 29th June in our churches on Sunday, July 1, and for Him to see us through the last few months of this administration.

“Politically, Nigerians must now gird their loins and see the democratic uprooting of this administration as a task that must be done in 2019 so as to save the country from utter destruction. There is no land where the blood of the innocent is being shed daily like Nigeria that can make progress in any area of human endeavour. Enough is enough,” the group said.

Similarly, Afenifere rejected federal government’s proposed cattle ranches in the six states of the Southwest and other Yoruba-speaking states. It said: “We insist that cattle rearing is a private business and the government has no business getting involved if there was no sinister. No inch of Yorubaland will be available for such and no governor should cede any land for such.”

The group also called for the restructuring of Nigeria in order “to retrieve Nigeria from the brink of collapse and put it back on track.”

– Jun. 27, 2018 @ 12:45 GMT |