The expiration of the ultimatum for herdsmen to leave the forest reserves in Ondo has called for a meeting between the southwest governors and the leadership of Miyetti Allah.
The meeting slated for Monday, January 25 will take place in Akure, the State capital. The aim of the meeting is to come out with a stable resolution to the kidnapping and killings between herdsmen and farmers in the region.
According to The Nation, the Presidency ordered the leadership of Miyetti Allah to meet the governors of the region. One media aide to the Southwest governors whose name wasn’t revealed disclosed that his principal will be present at the meeting.
He said;
“The whole thing was about the misconception. We all know the Presidency misinterpreted the Ondo State government’s directive. They took it to mean a total action which intended to clear the state of all herders.
“And while admitting that the spokesman to Mr President acted hastily and without proper authorisation, they (Presidency) have reached out to other governors to facilitate a meeting where the leadership of Miyyetti Allah would likely plead for time to comply with the directive.
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“My principal is involved and very concerned too because this is a Yoruba matter and not a personal issue between Aketi and the herders. So we are coming to Akure for the meeting tomorrow at 12. We need to give the honour to our chairman, the governor of Ondo State who is even leading the fight against insecurity in the region”.
Donald Ojogo, the Ondo Commissioner for Information and Orientation opined that the meetings of this nature are not unusual if true. He added that the meeting will begin at 12:00 noon.
Ojogo said;
“Well, meetings of that nature, if true, are not unusual. We are all in it together. No ethnic group or a particular trade is the target of the government order. So it will be a welcome development if the meeting is holding. There is nothing too unusual about it.”
Source; NaijaOnPoint.com
