THE Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, has publicly criticize the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina over a statement credited to him that all communities opposed to the Federal Cattle Territories, FCT, should choose between their lands and their lives. The forum described the statement as scandalous, reckless, insensitive and vexatious.
In a statement by Yinka Odumakin (S-West); Bassey Henshaw (S- South); Chigozie Ogbu (S-East) and Dr. Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), the forum described the declaration as a death sentence on those opposed to ranching.
The statement reads: “We take this ludicrous declaration as a death sentence on all those who oppose the imperialist agenda of the Federal Government to grab lands from communities in Nigeria and hand over to herdsmen for their private business.
“Adesina is close to the heart of presidency to know why it has treated killer herdsmen with kid gloves in the last three years and the arrogance with which he spoke showed they now assume their foot soldiers have terrorized us into submission.
“This death threat is coming after the President told the Governor of Benue State in January to learn how to live with herdsmen, the Defence Minister claiming that blockage of cattle routes is the reason why herdsmen are killing and the same Adesina telling us the killings done under Buhari in three years have not equaled the number of deaths that occurred under the Peoples Democratic Party,
“This goes to confirm our earlier charge that the role of the President of Nigeria and the duty the President owes to the herdsmen are in conflict and there is greater allegiance to the country above the country.
“If Mr. Adesina keeps his job in the next 24 hours, all doubt would be removed over the statement Gen T.Y Danjuma (retd) made that there is a working relationship between the killers and the security forces.
“There would be no reason to look for the killer herdsmen again. Nigerians would have to proceed to the International Criminal Court with the charge that what we are facing is state-sponsored terrorism.”
