The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has said plans are underway to chase ‘bad Fulani herders’ involved in violent attacks out of Yoruba land.
Kidnappings in South-west Nigeria and across the country have increased in recent months despite assurances by the government.
Speaking at his palace on Wednesday, Mr Ogunwusi while hosting the Emir of Borgu, Muhammed Dantoro, (Kitoro IV) said the recent attacks are ‘alien’.
According to a release made available to journalists by his spokesperson, Moses Olafare, the monarch said: “We keep hammering on the Fulani herdsmen trying to take over everywhere, it is the bad ones that we want to kick out and enough is enough, we will kick them and do justice to the peace and peaceful coexistence in our country.”
The monarch said it is time to “separate the corn (wheat) from the shaft (chaff)”.
“We want our country to be prosperous in peaceful coexistence, we do not want people to live in fear and that is the reason why we are trying to connect to one another as traditional rulers to find lasting solution to these of criminality.
“Everybody is saying they are Fulani herdsmen now, kidnapping everywhere. Enough of that! We must separate the corn from the shaft putting behind the past and letting peace reign in our land and in our country and that is what we stand for. We must join together to end this criminality being perpetrated by enemies of Nigeria with ungodly spirit irrespective of their tribes.”
In his reaction, the Emir of Borgu, said he will support Ooni’s plan “for the betterment of the people”.
“We will definitely work together for the betterment of our people. Borgu is a mini Nigeria because it is one of the few places in the country where you can find all tribes coexisting peacefully.”