Herdsmen expulsion: Call your criminals to order, Afenifere replies ACF

The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere has asked the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF to call the criminal elements within its fold to order and not expect Yoruba people to sheepishly wait to be killed by those who value cow lives more than human beings.

Afenifere stated this on Saturday while reacting to a statement credited to the ACF over the ultimatum issued to Fulani herdsmen to leave Ibarapa, Oyo State by Sunday Igboho, Yoruba activist.

The ACF had earlier warned of the issues that precipitated the civil war of 1967, threatening counter-attacks in the north if the Yoruba did not stop attacks on Fulanis in Oyo State.

However, National Publicity Secretary, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, in a statement on Saturday said the attention of Afenifere had been drawn to the hypocritical tears of ACF over clashes in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo state occasioned by the inimical activities of Fulani herdsmen against indigenous Yoruba people.

Afenifere said while it had gone to a great length to sue for peace and had appealed to the pained people to be law-abiding even with the daily provocations of the Fulani and harassment of its people, it frowned at the very arrogant and insulting ACF statement, especially their reference to the event of 1966.

The statement said Afenifere must make it clear to them that they could not “threaten us with a war at this stage as we will not provoke war but never are we going to run for anybody on our land.”

The body said it was miffed that a body like ACF that has never shown any remorse over the killing of Yoruba people could open its mouth anyhow now because there were consequences for the irresponsible actions of their people.

The statement advised the ACF to call their criminals to order and not expect Yoruba people to sheepishly wait to be killed by those who value cow lives more than human beings.

It added that the Yoruba people did not want a repeat of the 1966 event but that if there were people plotting such an event again, the rain would be over their heads.