Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada
The Ondo State Police Command on Monday said it has not arrested the herdsmen who allegedly burnt down the farm of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, at Ilado Village in Akure North Local Government Area of the state.Some people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen on Sunday allegedly set fire on about five hectares of the farm where oil palm trees and some other cash crops were planted.Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr. Femi Joseph, said it could not be ascertained that the dastardly act was carried out by herdsmen because there was no arrest yet. He however explained that the command had begun investigation on the incident.He noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Gbenga Adeyanju and the state Commissioner for Agriculure, Mr. Gboyega Adefarati and other top government functionaries had visited the farm to assess the extent of damage.Joseph said, “We were on the farm today (yesterday) and I want to tell you that the affected area on the farm did not have much crops. Although that is not to say anybody has the right to burn another person’s farm.“We are still investigating, we don’t know those who did the act, so we can’t say specifically whether it was a particular person or not because we have not arrested anybody yet and we didn’t meet anybody there when we got there today (yesterday).Also reacting to the development, the pan-Yoruba socio-political association, Afenifere, described the attack on Falae as an attack on the entire Yorubaland.The Secretary-General of the association, Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for being silent on the issue of herdsmen attack across the country. He alleged that the silence of the President meant that the latter was delighted about the herdsmen’s activities against other citizens of the country.He said, “The silence of the Head of State on these issues is very ominous and it doesn’t augur well for the oneness of this country because if somebody of the status of Chief Falae is undergoing this type of trauma and the President doesn’t say anything and they say silence means consent.“It is so unfortunate and unfair, if this type of thing is happening and the President is looking the other way, it is not good . This is an attack on the people of Yorubaland. Chief Falae is a national figure and if he is being treated like this, it means the government doesn’t have any regard for us in Yorubaland.”
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