We have no problem with cows, but marauding herders – Odumakin

The spokesman of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, speaks on recent killings in the country which was further compounded by the murder of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of Pa Fashoranti, allegedly by herdsmen in Ondo State. Odumakin laments that people are no longer safe even as the law is not being enforced to […]

The spokesman of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, speaks on recent killings in the country which was further compounded by the murder of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of Pa Fashoranti, allegedly by herdsmen in Ondo State. Odumakin laments that people are no longer safe even as the law is not being enforced to bring the killers to book. He reiterated that Yoruba leaders are not against Fulani herdsmen doing their legitimate businesses in the South- West. Excerpts:

Daily Trust: What are your thoughts on the recent killings in the country, particularly in the South-West with particular reference to the recent murder of the daughter of Afenifere leader, Pa Fasoranti?

Yinka Odumakin: We are very worried about the spate of killings in the country. We very worried that human blood has become a cheap commodity in our communities and several deaths are taking place on a daily basis and the law is not being enforced.  It is very worrisome that we have reached a point in this country where human lives are no longer safe. Our people are being murdered, we are being kidnapped in our own land and the police appear helpless to arrest the perpetrators of these killings. Mrs. Funke Olakunrin was murdered and all eyewitnesses point to the fact that she was murdered by herdsmen.

We cannot continue to fold our arms as if everything was alright. We don’t want a situation where our people would be forced to arm themselves in order to protect themselves. We want an end to these killings and this pattern of attacks which we have failed to contain. We want the law enforced so that these criminals can be fished out and brought to book. This is what happened in Benue where scores of people were killed by these murderous herdsmen and up till today we have not seen anybody being brought to book for these murders. Why is it a problem to arrest these criminals? The other government said the Fulani herdsmen involved in these attacks were not Nigerians, that they are from Chad and other neighbouring countries. Why is it difficult to identify them and bring them to book? Government must as a matter of urgency take charge. This is why we continue to advocate for the decentralization of the security of this country. We have a situation where you have the governor who is the chief security officer of his state and he doesn’t have any police.

DT: You talked about the pattern of these attacks, can you expatiate more on this?

Odumakin: Yes, we are convinced that the act was perpetrated by herdsmen and all eyewitness accounts point to this. What we saw in the case of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin was that she was targeted. When you look at the car in which she was killed, you see that the bullets came from her side of the car which suggested that there was some targeting.  At this stage in Nigeria, we must enforce law and order across the board, we cannot continue to protect a group from facing the law when a crime has been committed. We have had series of kidnappings in our land and all the victims have pointed to the fact that their attackers and kidnappers were herdsmen.

DT: But don’t you feel there is some kind of stereotype against Fulani herdsmen? They are saying they are being impersonated by criminal elements and every crime is being attributed to Fulani herdsmen. How are we sure the killers of Mrs. Olakunrin were Fulani herdsmen?

Odumakin: Nobody is saying every Fulani is a criminal. We have a large number of Fulani herdsmen living in the South-West for many years, doing their legitimate businesses. I have many friends who are Fulani, we are not trying to stigmatize the Fulani tribe. Nobody is inciting hate speech against the Fulani. Our position which was adopted at the 2014 national confab was the need to introduce ranches which is a modern way of rearing cows. This is not inciting the people against Fulani herders. As far as the murder of Mrs. Olakunrin is concerned, we stand by our position that it was a clear case of murder. We spoke with the driver of the vehicle who confirmed that the attackers were herdsmen. He said the people that attacked them had Fulani marks. Also, Kehinde Fasoranti, the younger brother of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, said he went to the police station and the police confirmed that those who killed his sister were Fulani herdsmen. Some patterns have followed which led credence to this trend.

We expect the police to investigate the matter but we saw that they are being courteous. What we have seen is that there is a pattern and the police are not interested in investigating the matter.

DT: What do you make of the statement by the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that insecurity is being politicized for selfish gains?

Odumakin: The statement is most unfortunate. It is a shame this statement is coming from Bola Tinubu against a grieving old man. We expected him to just come and commiserate with the man instead of coming to ask where is the cow. Who is talking about cows? We are not complaining about cows but the marauders who are killing our people and nothing is being done to stop them. Government should be able to arbitrate between all interest groups without appearing to shield one group. It is quite unfortunate that the government does not appreciate how to handle issues in a multi-ethnic nation like Nigeria. Government should run an inclusive system where no group is shielded from prosecution when it has committed a crime. At this stage in Nigeria, we must enforce law and order across board.

DT: Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, recently wrote a letter to the president raising issues about insecurity. Is there anything wrong with the letter?

Odumakin: Let me tell you, there is nothing wrong with the letter written by Obasanjo. This is the same issue we have been shouting over and over, that our people are being killed and the law is not being enforced. There is no patriot in Nigeria that will read Obasanjo’s letter and will not appreciate that he really means well for this country.