Governor of Ogu state, Dapo Abiodun, said the Sarkin Fulani in Yewa North community of the state is more fluent in the Yoruba language than he; hence herders are not criminals.
Dapo said this during a brief with newsmen at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.
The Governor was reported to be at the Presidential Villa to tender reports to President Muhammadu Buhari on the state’s recent herders and farmers crisis.
In his statement, Abiodun confirms that the killings ravaging the state are not perpetrated by herdsmen but by bandits whom he identified as cattle rustlers.
He said, “The Fulanis have lived with us in Ogun State for hundreds of years peacefully.
“The Sarkin Fulani from that particular corridor speaks Yoruba better than I do.
“One of the problems we have realized is ethnic profiling. Criminals are criminals. Our people have had a problem withdrawing the line between peaceful Fulani people who are traditionally herdsmen and bandits, who are cattle rustlers.
“The media houses are not particularly helping us. It beats me why somebody will be in such a hurry to spread fake news. We don’t have any country apart from Nigeria. There must be a stiff penalty for people propagating phony news because fake news is threatening this nation’s unity.”
