*Says inciters elements copying IPOB terrorism to destabilize Nigeria
*Urges patriots in Yoruba Land not to follow their antics as Tinubu’s becoming President is done deal
*Notes ‘After Owo Church attack, they are doing videos, audios calling for attack on Fulani in South West and even some leaders believe them’
*‘North will not be provoked by their provocative incitements for peace of Nigeria’
*Assures Tinubu to mind not CAN as Muslim-Muslim or not, North will not vote Atiku
By KEMI KASUMU
“But those who are releasing all those audio-visuals, videos in the South West are the ones who just want to copy IPOB and their interest is more about being able to destabilize this country. As you see IPOB, give them presidency today, it will make no difference for them because they will continue in their act. So, where is their point? That is what those elements in the South West are copying but it will be in their best interest to stop, because the Fulani people will not run away from being citizens of Nigeria and we will fear no one by mere threat of attack because we are the worst hit victims in insecurity that you see.”
Provocative videos and audio-visuals that have emerged in recent times moving from profiling criminals along tribe and religion and now to direct incitement against Hausa-Fulani in parts of the South particularly South West have been described as an effort that will push the North to go to war with any other region in Nigeria.
This statement was coming in reaction to activities of some Yoruba of South West, based in Nigeria and some abroad, and who have been making audacious provocations, trying to at all cost link the attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State to Fulani people and have therefore produced videos and audios, which they shared on social media, specifically, calling for the Fulani men, women and cows to be killed anywhere they are found in South West.
More sadly, according to him, some educated leaders in the region believe the “unrealistic theories that are being propagated” in those videos and audios believed to have influenced some of the utterances made by Professor Wole Soyinka when he visited Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, in Akure on Saturday with a warring statement to say the attack on the Owo church was a message to the governor and the people of South West.
Soyinka said the attack was directed at Akeredolu who has been showing leadership in terms of internal liberation. By this, Soyinka corroborated the talks on social media saying the church attack was in retaliation of the governor’s ban on open grazing, which is a statement referring at the top level to Fulani as responsible for the attack.
Talking about how the governor was the target, Soyinka, “He was targeted and there is no question about that. It was not an accident, and it is passing a message to the rest of us. That is why I’m here. I want the Governor to know that we have received the message. We understand it and we came to sympathize with him that he was selected as a medium for that message.
“So, the answer we must give to the message we all received is that we are not slaves. Here, on our own soil, having had the experience of a century of disdain, and contempt about us as black people.”
Although the governor did not respond in the affirmative to Soyinka, but apparently did after the National Security Council declared the attack on the Owo church as having the footprint of terrorism sighting ISWAP for example and, in a swift response, Akeredolu slammed the Federal Government to accuse it of making a wrong conclusion.
Speaking Friday during a virtual interaction with Christian Solidarity International (CSI), a Swiss-based Christian human rights organisation, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) refusing to accept the National Security Council’s conclusion said: “The statement is too hasty. I take their conclusion with a pinch of salt. ISWAP don’t hide their attacks. If they have done it, they would have owned up. We are yet to know their identity and our security people are still on their trail.”
Among the videos going the round on the effort to tag Fulani for church attack, who attackers are yet to be known, are in which dangerous calls have been called for direct attacks on any Hausa-Fulani in sight anywhere in Ondo State in particular among which originators the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, described as mischievous alarmist for saying cow herders stockpiled weapons in Buhari Estate, Badagiri Lagos to launch attacks on Nigerians in Lagos State.
Debunking the claims of Buhari armoury buildup in Lagos, the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, on Saturday, described as work of a mischievous alarmist, the viral video in which a woman claimed in Yoruba Language that Buhari Estate Badagry, Lagos State had been invaded and dominated by armed men to launch attack on Nigerians.
The DEFENDER Saturday afternoon had been sent a copy of the video by an apparently panicking member of the public to investigate whether or not there is an estate called Buhari Estate along the Badagry axis.
In the statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, with Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.4/138 dated June 11, 2022, the police accused the maker of the video of maliciously creating and circulating the piece of falsehood to cause unnecessary panic.
The statement read, “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to state categorically that the Muhammadu Buhari Estate situated at Agemowo, Badagry, Lagos State, is the property of the Nigeria Police Cooperative Multipurpose Society and by extension, the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Estate is occupied by Police Officers, who purchased the property under the Police Cooperative Scheme, and their families, and not armed men as speculated in a viral video where a mischievous alarmist alleged that the estate has been invaded and dominated by armed men, in an attempt to launch an attack on Nigerians resident in Lagos State.
“It is unpatriotic and indeed saddening that the maker of the video, who seemed educated and ought to know the dangers of disinformation, hurriedly and maliciously created and circulated the piece of falsehood, with a clear intent to cause unnecessary and avoidable panic. Members of the public are hereby advised to discountenance the video as the claims are totally false and frivolous.
“The Nigeria Police Force urges the general public on the importance of carrying out due diligence before churning out narratives with sentimental colourations to prevent causing disaffection in light of the multi-ethnic nature of the nation.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc(+), NPM, fdc, has directed the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigeria Police Force and the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Lagos State, CP Abiodun Alabi, to commence discrete investigation into the video, and possibly bring the originator to book as the alarmist’s act is punishable under the law,” the Force PRO said.
While thanking the security agencies for rising to the task of ensuring security for the protection of all Nigerians by swiftly detecting some of the mischievous videos and audios, the Wali of Bakori, Katsina State, Alhaji Tukur Mohammed, who reacted while speaking to The DEFENDER in Abuja, on Monday June 13, 2022, said those “who are doing all of these provocations in South West are elements copying IPOB and are therefore just bent on destabilizing this country at all cost, but we will not let them.”
However, he took exception to denying culpability of some Fulani persons in criminal acts just like Igbo and Yoruba persons have been involved in crimes but that, in the issues at stake, leaders of the region should take caution in believing hearsay but trust the security agencies to do their job, adding that, all of those confusions have more to do with 2023 than meet the eye as the elements are bent on destabilizing the country if that is what will stop Tinubu from becoming President.
He said, “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is unstoppable, go and note that. I am speaking to you because you are one Nigerian newspaper that anyone can trust considering your editorial direction on the side of Nigeria and supporting the government without looking back, to succeed, going to eight years now. You do your job well and we appreciate you. Let them also know this time that all the threats by CAN and those other elements about Muslim-Muslim ticket will pave to nothing because, nobody can stop Muslim (South)-Muslim (North) or Muslim (South)-Christian (North) ticket, whichever one Tinubu chooses.
“It is a promise that Tinubu will be the next President of Nigeria and, inshallah, nobody does business with Fulani and regrets on the ground of trust and so, it is time for Tinubu and Yuraba people of Nigeria to know that we do not fail our promise and do not betray our trust.
“Buhari is not on the ballot, despite the push by same Southerners to make him contest again, he said no. That is Fulani man for you. And you talk about Northernisation or Northernisation or Islamisation Agenda, only this same CAN and the media who believe it, yet the Muslims and Northerners have suffered the most under this government and some people will just come with an allegation they cannot substantiate,” he said.
He said, “But those who are releasing all those audio-visuals, videos in the South West are the ones who just want to copy IPOB and their interest is more about being able to destabilize this country. As you see IPOB, give them presidency today, it will make no difference for them because they will continue in their act. So, where is their point? That is what those elements in the South West are copying but it will be in their best interest to stop, because the Fulani people will not run away from being citizens of Nigeria and we will fear no one by mere threat of attack because we are the worst hit victims in insecurity that you see.
“Let me keep your mind at rest that ,if you want to know, there is a promise and that promise is known to Buhari, Tinubu and very important person in the North that Buhari will hand over to Tinubu. Those who are trying to whip sentiments using every act of insecurity to nail the Fulani anywhere, even in Yoruba Land, are only doing that because they know Fulani do not fail their promise but they only want to frustrate the fulfillment of the promise in order to have a claim that they promised Yoruba man and failed him. They will not succeed.
“If you say Tinubu is sick, it is your own problem. There is a promise. When you work with somebody and the person succeeds because you did not fail him, the natural understanding only expects you to go ahead and fulfill whatever promise amidst and that will work for Tinubu because the North will not vote for Atiku.
“I can assure you that we are not going to vote for Atiku and Tinubu will win in Borno, Gombe, Kano, and other states in the North and when you take those ones with Lagos where the votes are and parts of the South West, all that will be required in other states that Tinubu will not win will be for him to have 25 percent which he will get and then becomes the next Nigeria’s President that President Muhammadu Buhari will handover to,” he said.
