From: Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has threatened to henceforth depose any traditional ruler and remove any council chairman where there is any reported case of Fulani herdsmen/ farmers clash in their domain.
The governor who gave this warning during a stakeholders meeting of the farmers and the hersdmen at the government house, lokoja Wednesday ordered that Fulani must be henceforth be appointed into the state executive council, local government council and all the traditional council s in the state.
Bello who also rejected the advice of some traditional rulers to introduce anti grazing law in the state to reduce the incessant clashes between the farmers and herdsmen, said his administration welcomes all sorts of Fulani herdsmen to the state provided they will live harmoniously with the people.
He frowns at the frequent killings of innocent citizens in the state and said he would set up a committee to fine tune the relationship between the herdsmen and farmers in the state
Earlier, the traditional ruler of Dekina , Alh Usnan Obaje told the governor how the Fulani recently killed over 24 members of his community and how the herdsmen constantly raped some innocent girls in the community who went to bathe at the community river.
The traditional ruler also told the governor how some Fulani invaded a community mosque and killed everybody at sight and called on the Governor to enact the anti grazing law to discourage the frequent attacks.
Also, the traditional ruler of Elete near Ajaokuta relayed how he was kidnapped by some herdsmen in 2016 and a huge sum of money was paid as ransom and pleaded with the Governor to do something urgent to save them from the menace of the herdsmen.
But responding, governor Bello said he will not restrict the movement of any herdsmen as long as they are law abiding and promised to pay for the nine cows killed recently in Omala during a clash between the herdsmen and the farmers.