President Muhammadu Buhari, governors and other stakeholders should urgently put a strong machinery in motion for national political engagements to prevent a breakdown of law and order over the cruel and criminal killings in South-West by armed Fulani robbers and bandits.
This is the position of eminent leaders of thought and nationalities in Nigeria under the aegis of Pro National Conference Organisations, PRONACO.
PRONACO was initiated by the Late Chief Anthony Enahoro and Professor Wole Soyinka.
Project Nigeria Movement, PNM, led by Professor Ben Nwabueze, also holds the same position.
The group made the call for national engagements on Saturday in reaction to the killing of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, daughter of the leader of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.
Olakurin was said to have been killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
In a statement issued by the spokesman of PRONACO and PNM, Olawale Okunniyi, the murder was condemned by the two groups, saying it was dastardly and wicked.
The statement reads in part: “We wish to state categorically that yesterday’s criminal murder of the daughter of the leader of the pan Yoruba movement, Afenifere, is wicked, ungodly and remains unacceptable and unbearable to our Pan Nigerian political platforms, PRONACO and the Project Nigeria Movement as it is capable of aggravating the already tense situation in the South-West and foisting unwanted civil strife on the country
“We, therefore, strongly call on President Muhammadu Muhammadu, Chairman of the Governors Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and National leader of the ruling APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, among others to urgently put a strong machinery in motion for national political engagements to prevent a breakdown of law and order over the cruel and criminal killings in South-West by armed Fulani robbers and bandits.”
The joint national secretariat of Project Nigeria Movement and PRONACO put all its allied eminent national leaders, statesmen and arrow heads of nationality and self determination groups on notice about “a possible emergency political convergence next week to address the tense situation created by menacing and marauding armed Fulani bandits in the country, especially the cruel murder of the daughter of Afenifere leader yesterday.”
“Finally, our sympathies and commiserations, at this sad moment, go to Pa Reuben Fasoranti, Yoruba leader and his family and to the entire Yoruba people, who have lost thousands of their folks and loved ones to armed kidnappings and robbery coordinated by heartless ransom taking and blood thirsty Fulani marauders in the last one year.
“We therefore pray for divine fortitude for all those who have lost their loved ones to this alien armed banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria,” the statement reads further.
