Herdsmen Crisis May Lead To Civil War – Afenifere Backs Soyinka

Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, has backed the position of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on the herders’ crisis rocking the South-West region.

Naija News had reported that Soyinka told President Muhammadu Buhari that the activities of criminal herdsmen could lead Nigeria into another civil war.

To stop the crisis from escalating further, Soyinka said the President needs to address the nation in clear terms and tell the cattle rearers not to infringe the rights of other citizens while conducting their own private business.

He also urged Buhari to give instructions to the security forces to protect citizens else the President would continue to be seen as supporting the activities of the criminal herdsmen.

But in an interview on Arise News on Monday, Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, said the country may experience another civil unrest if the herdsmen crisis is not handled properly.

He said: “The Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, is (well-) known. You cannot say that he is beating the drum of war or he is an alarmist. People are painting the reality that is on the ground. If what is happening in the South-West today, let’s say some Yoruba boys had gone to do one percent of that in the north, there would have been a war in this country by now.

“So, when Professor Wole Soyinka is warning President Buhari now that if you don’t speak up now, what is going on will lead to civil war, he is not just talking in vain.”

Odumakin also condemned Buhari for not addressing the nation on the heinous crimes committed by killer herders, calling on members of the international community to intervene and help Nigeria solve this mess.

“But the world and the international community should be interested in Nigeria at this moment and get Nigeria out of this mess.

“It is clear now that the possibility of internal solutions is getting limited, we don’t have an authority in leadership that can get us out of this mess. And the implication of a war in Nigeria for the rest of the world is very serious.

“Therefore, they should get on their feet now and begin to get interested in Nigeria to get us out of this mess that we are in,” he said.