The Labour Party (LP) has called on the inspector-general of Police to avoid a situation where the Police Force and the Military will be portrayed as taking side with criminal elements in the ensuing heardsmen crisis in the Southwest.
The party also renewed its call on the federal government to come forth with innovative ideas to deal with all the challenges confronting the nation.
LP’s national Secretary, Barr Julius Abure while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja said, it has watched with keen interest the unfolding and brewing crisis in Southwest and advise the Inspector General of Police to thread with caution and employ a holistic approach to deal with the dicey situation in order to forestall a spiral effect across the country.
He said, “The missing link has been government inability and the incapability of the Police Force to abinitio promptly investigate, apprehend, prosecute and deal with the complain of kidnappings, armed robbery, murder,rape and other heinous crimes purportedly committed by some criminal elements withing the Fulani Herdsmen.
“The IGP must avoid a situation where the Police Force and the Military will be portrayed as taking side with criminal elements .
“The videos in circulation where the military was seen excorting some Fulani Herders into the forest and chasing away the indegenious people from their community in Ogun State does not portray the state and the military in good light.
“There are consistent complaints of: how farms have been destroyed by the Herders, farmers murdered in their farms, wives and children of farmers raped in their farms. At the moment across the country farmers cannot access their farms. Citizens can no longer travell and even sleep with their two eyes closed. Government and indeed the Security Agencies did nothing to abate the situation.
“However, we must reiterate that when a government fails in his principal responsibility to protect the people. They will have no choice but to employ self help to protect themselves. This is what is playing out in Ondo and Ogun States.
“This brings to the fore the need for the government to stop paying lip service to the issues of security across the country. We fear that the already overstretched Police force and the military poorly motivated may not be able to withstand a national crisis.
“The failure of successive administrations and the current government to employ modern technology in animal husbandry is one of the reasons for the ongoing crisis in the South West. It is shameful that in 21st century we are still talking about cattle grazing where children who ought to be in school are in the forest grazing cattles.
North America is the highest producer of cattles in the world. It’s cattles are produced and cared for in Cattle Ranches.
“We therefore renew our call on government to come forth with innovative ideas to deal with all the challenges confronting our country”, he said.
