Governors condemn ethnic profiling — endorse national livestock plan

The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) says it is against the targeting of citizens on the basis of their ethnicity.

There has been rising ethnic tension in the country following the activities of some herdsmen involved in kidnapping and banditry.

Speaking on Wednesday after an emergency meeting at the state house in Abuja, Kayode Fayemi, chairman of the forum, said governors feel strongly that the strengthening of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) will address the herder-farmer conflicts.

The Ekiti state governor said governors also reviewed the state of security across the states.

“And some of the issues that were reviewed included, but not limited to the farmers/herders conflict, banditry and kidnapping, militancy and sea piracy, cultism, youth protests and insurgency,” Fayemi said.

“And the following recommendations firmly came out of our meeting. Governors are irrevocably committed to the protection of lives and property in our states and we are full of sympathy with those who have lost lives and property.

“The governors’ forum has gone ahead also to provide some financial support to victims of the conflict experienced in Oyo and Ogun States where our delegation visited last week.

“Nigerian governors also said in very clear terms, that crime and criminality should comprehensively be prosecuted wherever they may occur without ethnic, religious or any other colouration; governors are totally opposed to ethnic profiling of crime; knowing what has transpired in other parts of the world.

“Many of us have seen those fake videos that have almost led to reprisals in other parts of the country. We want to implore both our main stream media organisations as well as individuals to apply restraint in the way issues relating to security of lives and property are reported.”

“And that modern approaches to grazing, livestock management need to be put in place and governors feel strongly that the strengthening of the NLTP will be a good place to start this comprehensive revisiting of the livestock management arrangement.”