Middle Belt and Southern leaders orders for immediate declaration of Fulani herdsmen as terrorists

Southern and Middle Belt leaders on Thursday in Enugu called for immediate declaration of rampaging Fulani herdsmen as terrorists.

The call came at a summit tagged “Handshake Across the Niger’, where demand for the immediate restructuring of Nigeria’s current political structure also dominated discourse.

The event, co-organized by Igbo group, Nzuko Umunna and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo attracted array of leaders from the South-West, South South, Middle Belt and the host region, South-East.

Those from the South-West included Chief Olu Falae, Ayo Adebanjo, former Governor Olusegun Mimiko, former aviation minister, Femi-Fani Kayode, among others. The Middle Belt Delegation was led by ex-Plateau Governor, Jonah Jang.

On the side of the South-East were the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, former Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Deputy Governor of Imo State, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represented the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, representatives of both the Enugu and Anambra Governors, among several others.

Various speakers at the event took time to warn that if the country was not restructured immediately, it would be heading for doom.

Former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Olu Falae, in his opening remarks said that the coming together of the people of southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt had come at a right time as “Nigeria is now very sick.”‎

Speaking, the Ohanaeze President said the essence of the ‘Handshake Across the Nigeria’, was to correct age-long misconception and suspicion among the Igbos and the Yorubas.

He said there had existed mutual trust and brotherhood among the two regions, which he said was demonstrated by Late Colonel Fajuyi, who laid down his life late military head of State, Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi.

In a remark, Chief Adebanjo described President Muhammadu Buhari as the problem of Nigeria, over his stance on calls for restructuring.

“Buhari cannot claim to be more Northerner than the Southerners. Buhari is the problem of Nigeria by opposing restructuring. He is doing this because his people are the beneficiaries of the lopsidedness of Nigeria”, he said.

On herdsmen, Adebanjo said he had no trust on the ability of the police to quell the activities of the group as the police hierarchy had already described the killings as communal clashes.

He further lambasted President Buhari over his handling of the killings, stressing that “even when someone in the caliber of Falae was kidnapped, he didn’t utter a word. He has also refused to identify Fulani herdsmen as terrorists.

In his remarks, Jang described the meeting as most timely and appropriate, calling on the organizers “to extend the handshake across the River Benue and all the minorities.”

He added that “the question of restructuring is not debatable and not in the hand of any individual not minding his position.”

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