A group of cattle breeders in Nigeria, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has said no one has the right to evict herdsmen from the forest reserves in Ondo State because all the land in Nigeria belong to Fulani.
Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, the national president of the association told the Sun newspaper in an interview that herders will not obey Akeredolu’s directive mandating them to vacate the forests reserves.
He said the herders do not need anybody’s permission to use a forest for grazing so far as it provides the nutrients needed by their cattle.
Bodejo said: “All the lands in this country belong to the Fulani, but we don’t have any business to do with land if it doesn’t have areas for grazing; if the land doesn’t have cow food, we won’t have any business with it. We don’t sell land, we don’t farm. What we consider is the areas that have cow food. If the place is good for grazing, we don’t need anybody’s permission to go there.”
He said the group had filed a legal action challenging the legality of the Ondo state governor’s order.
Bodejo distanced herdsmen from kidnappings, armed robberies and other violent crimes reportedly being carried out in parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu, according to the presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, has ordered the arrest of Yoruba activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho.
Garba made the revelation to BBC Hausaduring its programme Ra’ii Riga on Friday.
According to the BBC report, IGP Adamu had told Shehu on the phone that the new Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, had been ordered to arrest Igboho immediately and transfer him to Abuja.
Igboho had given killer-herdsmen an ultimatum to vacate Oyo State, with the rising tensions forcing Governor Seyi Makinde to ban him from entering the area, urging the Police to treat anyone stoking ethnic clash like a criminal.
However, Igboho stormed Igangan in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday, welcomed by a mammoth crowd and clashes ensured.
