Fani-Kayode tackles Presidency for warning Akeredolu for giving quit notice to herdsmen

Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani Kayode has come down strongly on the Presidency for saying that herdsmen who were given ultimatum by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to vacate Ondo forest reserves have rights to reside there.

It would be recalled that the Presidency had while calling for restraint from both sides said “It will be the least expected to unilaterally oust thousands of herders who have lived all their lives in the state on account of the infiltration of the forests by criminals.”

The position was contained in a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who used the opportunity to urge the state government and the leadership of the Fulani communities to continue their dialogue for a good understanding that will bring an end to security challenges in the state.

But reacting, Fani Kayode in a tweet on Wednesday said that the assertion by Garba Shehu that herdsmen have a right to reside in the forests of Ondo and South West was ‘insulting, provocative, asinine and absurd.’

According to him, “Quit notices cannot be given to law-abiding citizens in any part of Nigeria but must be given to those that kill, steal and seek to destroy the lives of others. Murderous terrorists and bloodthirsty and evil men that hide in the forest to ambush, kidnap, kill and destroy innocent and hardworking men and women have no constitutional rights.

“It is the duty of Government to not only flush them out from whichever hole they are hiding but also to despatch them to hell where they belong.

“Akeredolu has done and said the right thing and I urge every single SW Governor to do the same. Fulanis, Hausas, Igbos, Ijaws and all Nigerians are welcome in the SW but terrorists, bandits, killers and unhinged, bloodlusting and bloodthirsty psychopaths and sociopaths are not.”

“Buhari do your job and stop the killings. Stop turning a blind eye simply because they come from your tribe. Stop brushing this under the carpet and treating them with kid gloves simply because they are your footsoldiers. Stop protecting them and stop encouraging them,” he added.