South-west governors to meet with Miyetti Allah amid tension in Ondo and Oyo

Governors of south-west states will meet with leaders of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Akure, Ondo, on Monday, amid tension in some parts of the region.

Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, had issued a seven-day ultimatum to all herders to leave the state’s forest reserves. The order sparked off a chain of controversies.

The governor said “bad elements” have turned the forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransom and carrying out other criminal activities.

But the presidency said Akeredolu cannot asks herders to leave Ondo forest reserves.

In a statement, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said the governor’s action could set off a chain of events “which the makers of our constitution foresaw and tried to guard against”.

According to The PUNCH, the meeting is aimed at working out solutions to the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers as well as banditry in the south-west region.

Bello Garba, Ondo state chairman of MACBAN, said the national leadership of the association is in Akure and ready for the meeting with the governors.

Garba said they will brief journalists on the outcome of the meeting.

“The national chairman of Miyetti Allah is in town now and I cannot talk about what we want to discuss at the meeting now but I can assure you that we are going to address the press tomorrow (Monday) after the meeting,” the chairman was quoted as saying.

Amid the tension, a quit order was also issued to herders in Oyo state by Sunday Igboho, a youth leader.