The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has asked all Fulani herdsmen to vacate the southern part of Nigeria if their security can no longer be guaranteed.
The chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, Ango Abdullahi made this known while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, where he also stated that the security and safety of Northerners in Nigeria is of Paramount concern to the forum.
He also advised against the escalation of matters sensitive enough to lead to a break down of law and order.
“I will like to take a particular note of the last paragraph of your presentation especially with what we have heard in the last few hours that some violence had already started to manifest in some sections of the country against the herdsmen, who for all known reasons have been in peaceful co-existence in the communities where they have lived for many years.
“Now, certainly we are worried about their safety, like we are worried about the safety of every Nigerian who decided to live wherever they want to.
“But then, if there is no certainty that their safety is guaranteed by the authorities that are immediately around them or by the authorities that have the responsibility for the overall security of all Nigerians wherever they reside, we are certainly worried about their wellbeing and I think particular attention should be paid to what is happening on hour-to-hour, day-to-day basis.
“And if it is indeed, true that there safety is not guaranteed in the places where they are residing, we would rather have them back into areas where there safety is guaranteed, and this is coming back as much as possible to the North.
“They who are residents there should keep us informed and those of us who are monitoring from here should also keep ourselves informed about what is happening,” he said.
