Fulani cattle breeders body gives Fani-Kayode final warning to apologise for insulting them

FULANI socio-cultural association Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban) has given former aviation minister Chief Femi Fani-Kayode a final warning to withdraw his disparaging remarks about them or face legal action.

 

On September 21 this year, former finance minister Chief Olu Falae was abducted by Fulani herdsmen near his farm in Akure the Ondo State capital, sparking a national outrage. It led to calls for the government to curb the activities of these herders who roam across the country destroying crops and carry out brutal reprisals when challenged.

 

Always well armed with AK47 rifles, these Fulani herders are never reluctant to open fire on communities who attack their cattle. Chief Fani-Kayode, however, upped the ante when he described the Fulani as tse-tse flies, locusts and leeches, whose presence should be banned across southern Nigeria.

 

Yesterday, after consulting with community leaders from across the southwest in Abuja, Macban president Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Bodejo gave Chief Fani-Kayode a final warning. He called on the former aviation minister to publicly withdraw his hate speech and wrongful criminal allegation against the Fulani, particularly the herdsmen.

 

Alhaji Bodejo said: “We want Femi Fani-Kayode to publicly withdraw his hate speech and wrongful criminal allegation against the entire Fulani race immediately to avoid legal action by us. We also want the federal government to deal with anybody no matter highly place in Nigeria if they did not guide their utterances.”

 

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that peace and tranquillity prevails across the country and urged that public utterances by some Nigerians are watched to avoid a breach of public peace. Chief Fani-Kayode accused the Fulani of fomenting ethnic tension across the country with their actions.