The Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) has charged Southern Governors to take proactive measures in their states to tackle Fulani herdsmen and other forms of banditry in their various states.
This was disclosed in a press statement Signed by the Chairman of DOPF, Emmanuel Enebeli and his Secretary, Shedrack Onitsha
It stated that there was need for to governors to swing into action into the worsening security situation across Nigeria, particularly in the Southern region.
”We are alarmed by the growing wave of kidnappings, killings, raping of our mothers and daughters and terror being visited upon innocent citizens by criminal elements, many of whom disguise themselves as herdsmen or hunters.
”The situation has reached a breaking point and the continued silence or passive responses from our state governors is no longer acceptable.
”We strongly urge the governors of Southern Nigeria to take their constitutional responsibility as Chief Security Officers seriously and act with urgency to tackle this existential threat currently faced by our people in Southern Nigeria”’ the statement noted.
According to DOPF ”The Land Use Act vests control of all lands in the hands of the governors, and they must not fold their hands while their people suffer untold hardship and terror on their ancestral lands. It is time for proactive leadership that prioritizes the safety of lives and property over “Political Interest.”
”We also call on the governors to take a cue from the bold and commendable stance of the Emir of Muri in Taraba State, His Royal Highness Abbas Njidda Tafida, who issued a 30-day ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen to vacate the region over repeated cases of kidnapping and killings allegedly perpetrated by some of them. In a viral video message, the Emir, visibly angry and frustrated, asked, “If people in the North can ask them to leave, why are Southerners treating them with leniency?” This is a question the Southern governors must reflect upon and act on decisively.”‘
While reminding them of the President’s directives to governors, the Forum enjoined them to take ownership of the security situation in their domains and deploy all lawful means to restore peace as President Bola Tinubu had earlier said.
