Northern Governors In Ibadan Over Growing Tension
By Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan
POLITICS DIGEST – Four governors from the North last night in Ibadan met with leaders of the Hausa community in continuation of the push for truce after weekend’s ethnic clash at Shasha market in the Oyo State capital.
The situation in the ancient city is tense after it was established that many people were killed in the conflict.
Properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed.
Governors Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), who were received by Governor Seyi Makinde, are billed to tour the troubled spot today for an on-the-spot assessment. They will also hold talks on the resolution of the crisis to ease ethnic tension.
Some of those at Monday’s meeting at the Agodi Government House include: Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni; Special Assistant to the governor on Community Relations (Arewa Community) Alhaji Ahmad Murtala and Serikis who represented Hausa communities.
Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu has also deployed a special squard in Ibadan as part of efforts to prevent reprisal killings.
Governor Makinde promised that justice will be served to victims of the crisis.
The governor added that a judicial panel will be inaugurated to investigate the crisis.
According to him, Peace and Security Committees will be inaugurated in all the zones of the state to address the grievances of the people.
The governor appealed to angry residents of the area to sheathe their swords, saying “It is time to think about our self-preservation. It is time to put Oyo State first.”
He said the state government had bought the situation in Shasha under control since around 2 p.m. on Saturday, when “a curfew was put in place and there has been no further unrest since then.”
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He spoke in a broadcast aired on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).
The governor warned residents not to take laws into their hands, maintaining that the government will deploy all the apparatus available to it to ensure that justice was done.
“I visited Shasha Market and Ojoo in Akinyele Local Government Area yesterday (Sunday) and I have met the people affected by the crisis. I am saddened by the loss of lives. I feel your pain. I understand your anger and frustrations. We will make things right.
“As I stated yesterday, I have also ordered a full investigation into the immediate cause of the crisis and I promise that all culprits will be brought to book. Our administration will also be providing the needed support to ensure that those who lost their properties to the mayhem are compensated.
“I mourn the loss of lives that has occurred. Even when justice is served, nothing can bring back the dead. That is why I must also state that individuals who have taken to stoking up ethnic flames in Oyo State either through their utterances or actions or posts on social media are enemies of our state.
“The people who have decided to leverage these sad events to further their political goals are not our friends. These people handing us petrol and matches will not stand with us when the fire turns into an inferno.
“When we see the potential dangers of words and actions, we must take precautions. It is time to think about our self-preservation. It is time to put Oyo State first.
He pointed out that individuals doing a disservice to the state and sabotaging its efforts on security will face the wrath of the law, decrying the shooting of an Amotekun Corps by a Divisional Police Officer in Ogbomoso.
A whole tribe, ethnic group, profession, or gender must not pay for the sins of one individual. It is totally unacceptable for any individual or individuals to take law into their own hands. That is jungle justice. Oyo State is not a jungle. We know that people are angry. People have a right to be angry.
Source: The Nation
