The Federal Government has urged restraint on the part of warring factions in the Oyo and Ondo States farmers and herdsmen clash, vowing to effectively deal with those who breach the peace.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja and signed by himself, said Government is having a holistic look at the challenges and will stop at nothing to bring lasting peace, security and amity to all communities.
In the statement titled “A time to put Unity and Peace above all”, Aregbesola observed that, “the regrettable incidences of heightening ethnic and religious tensions in our country are, in part, outcomes of political and economic strains that have persistently defined our land and continue to exacerbate security challenges, making the task of development more traumatic.”
According to him, “Government is keenly aware and genuinely concerned about these complications that, sadly, have been sharpened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through the growth of anxieties about issues, lives, and livelihoods in our communities.”
He emphasized that government will not tolerate any act or behaviour capable of jeopardising law and order as well as security of lives and property in any part of the country.
“There will be no tolerance for any act or behaviour capable of jeopardising law and order and security of lives and property in any part of Nigeria.
“Therefore, as the government is fashioning long term answers to address these problems, it urges citizens to appreciate that self-help and lawlessness cannot offer a path to a sustainable solution. It can only lead to greater pain as well as costly human and material losses and disruption of the already difficult task of devising responses that will produce tangible peace and development in the country,” he stated.
Aregbesola assured that the Federal Government is moving in quickly to bring state, community, security, traditional institutions, religious organizations, and youth groups into a purposeful dialogue that will bring effective resolutions to the problem within constitutional and legal frameworks.
“Let us all try to be our brother’s keeper and work towards building a peaceful community that works for all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, and other forms of differences,” Aregbesola stated.