ONDO: I didn’t ask Fulani to leave my state – Akeredolu

*Those in the forest reserves must register to nip crime’

GOVERNOR Rotimi Akeredolu has restated that he did not at anytime ask Fulani herdsmen to leave the state.

He noted that in a series of meeting he held with the members of the Fulani and Ebira Communities, what he reiterated was the need to have register for those in the forest reserves so that strangers will be easily apprehended and dealt with.

Akeredolu said, “It is not that I asked anybody to leave Ondo State and what we all agreed was that we should have a register so as to be able to identify strangers in the forest .These crimes must be nipped in the bud. We must protect everybody in Ondo State. We won’t play to the gallery,”

Speaking in a similar vein, Akeredolu’s counterpart from Ekiti State who doubles as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) said the Ondo government had no intention to evict anybody or a particular ethnic group from the state.

He added that it was the media that misconstrued Governor Akeredolu’s speech.
Also Makinde identified social media as a tool that escalated security crisis in the region .

He said, “All hands must be on deck to with the security issues. We cannot use criminality to solve criminality. We have to continue to work together to fight our common enemies and our common enemies are criminals. We will continue to promote good neighbourliness, we will continue to provide support for the security agencies to do their work. We will also strive to provide employment opportunities for our teeming youths.”

Oyetola called on the Ondo State Government to set up a standing committee which would comprise the representatives of the state government and members of the MACBAN as well as the security agencies.

Governors Badaru and Bagudu of Jigawa and Kebbi State respectively also blamed the social media for allegedly giving out fake stories concerning the Akeredolu’s vacation order, which he said, generated various reactions.