Bello orders arrest of killers of 15 herdsmen

By Zacheaus Somorin

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has directed four local administrators in the state to produce killers of 15 Fulani herdsmen within seven days.

Bello issued the ultimatum to the local government chiefs during a stakeholders meeting on security held in Lokoja on Tuesday.

He said failure to produce the perpetrators would lead to the sack of the adminidtrators who he also accused of ineptitude and dereliction of duty.

The affected are the administrators of Yagba West Loca Government where 11 of the fulanis were killed between May 18 and May 20, Omala, Dekina and Igalamela Local Hovernment Councils where the remaining four Fulanis were killed.

The governor said that his administration would not condone killings of any citizen in the state under whatever guise.

He directed the administrators to work with their traditional rulers to unveil the perpetrators.

Bello promised to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to book.

“This Fulanis have been staying with us in the state peacefully without any rancour, any politicians or detractors who are behind this killing will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“My administration will not spare anybody no matter how highly placed in the society, ” he said.

He commended the security agencies for the good they were doing in the state but urged them to scale up their performance.

The Administrator of Yagba West where the killing of 11 Fulanis took place, Mr Joseph Olutimi, confirmed the development.

He said that the initial report he got was that a farmer was killed by Fulani herdsmen, saying that he quickly informed security agents of the development.

He explained that the Fulanis were killed by yet to be identified persons, saying that the people of the local government had been living peacefully with the Fulanis for years.

In his speech, the Special Adviser to the governor on security, Jerry Omadara, explained that the action was a reprisal attack on Fulanis for the death of a farmer few days ago.

He also said that three corpses of Fulanis were found in Oluja community in Dekina Local Government while several cows were also killed by unknown gunmen.

The Secretary of Meyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Yagba West Local Government, Mr Mohammed Mainasara, said 11 of his members were killed, asking for justice in the matter.