Buhari must show sincerity in curbing killers herdsmen menace – Frank

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, says President Muhammadu Buhari show leadership and sincerity in curbing insecurity in the country by arresting and prosecuting killer herdsmen who go about killing, kidnapping and raping indigenes of their host states and not emboldening them.

Frank’s reaction is coming on the heels of the statement made by president Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu over the decision of the Ondo state government to expel herders from the state’s forest reserves to curb the rising insecurity in the state.

Shehu in a statement had said Governor Rotimi Akeredolu lacked the powers and could not unilaterally oust thousands of herders whom he said have lived all their lives in the state.

But Timi Frank, in his statement on Saturday, said the Buhari-led APC government should rather arrest and prosecute killer herdsmen instead of making statements that smack of emboldening them.

“Statements such as made by Garba Shehu only shows that the Buhari government prioritises the interests of the Fulanis above those of other Nigerians. Is Buhari’s government now telling us that both the governor and the people should fold their hands and watch while intruding, murderous herders kill, kidnap them and destroy their property?

“It is no news that even when these killer herdsmen are arrested and handed over to the security agencies, they are soon allowed to go scot-free.

Buhari must show sincerity in arresting, prosecution of killer herdsmen –

“Buhari must show that he is the president, not for the Fulanis alone but for all Nigerians. He must also show leadership and sincerity in curbing insecurity in the country by arresting and prosecuting killer herdsmen who go about killing, kidnapping and raping indigenes of their host states and not emboldening them.

The ex APC spokesperson who also condemned the use of violence by Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader popularly known as Sunday Igboho who had issued a quit notice to herdsmen in Oyo state, however, said that a peaceful approach in fishing out the criminal elements among the Fulani group is a more ideal approach.

He had blamed the herders and Fulanis, including Saliu Kadri, the Seriki Fulani, of being behind the rising insecurity in the area.

But Frank, in his reaction, also condemned the IGP for what he described as a biased arrest order which he said further encourages the herders. He questioned the police boss’ “swift and biased” arrest order on Sunday Igboho whom he said had killed nobody but only sought to protect his people.

He said such arrest orders should first be issued and executed on the killer herdsmen who have been killing innocent citizens across the country for so long now.