Akeredolu warns Bala Mohammed over defence of herdsmen

Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has criticised the “provoking and insensitive” comments used by his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed regarding the rights of herdsmen to wield arms.

Akeredolu was responding to response of Mohammed that Nigerians don’t need permission to live in Ondo forests.

However, the Ondo Governor warned his Bauchi colleague against utterances capable of setting the country aflame.

The vacation order of Akeredolu to herdsmen elicited outrage within the Presidency with Mohammed stating that nobody has the right to issue such an order.

“Land is in the hands of the state and federal governments in trust but Nigerians don’t need the permission of governors or the federal government to settle everywhere.

“You don’t need the permission of the governor of Bauchi or the governor of Ondo to be in the forests of Ondo if you choose to live in the forests because, under Section 41 of the constitution, you are free to settle anywhere,” the Bauchi State governor had said on Friday.

Reacting in a statement through his Special Assistant on New Media, Olabode Olatunde, Akeredolu urged Nigerians to disregard Mohammed’s comments.

The statement partly read, “The position of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, is not to engage or confront anyone who has the mindset of a crisis entrepreneur or warmonger.

“Very provoking and insensitive as the statement appears, we can only err on the side of caution by advising Governor Bala Mohammed not to set Nigeria on fire by his thoughts that are highly destructive and undermining national cohesion.

“Nigerians should ignore him and rather focus on those issues that can bring about peace and engender unity.”

Akeredolu had also slammed Mohammed for saying herders have the right to bear AK-47 rifles for self-protection.