– Governor Fayose accuses the police of displaying ethnic bias in its investigation of the Ile Ife crisis
– Fayose says it is strange that in a clash involving the people of Ile-Ife, who are Yorubas and Hausas, only Yorubas were arrested by the police
– The governor states that the police handling of the Ile Ife crisis suggests that crimes committed by Fulani herdsmen against other Nigerians are not being treated as crimes
Fayose describes the loss of innocent souls in the Ile Ife crisis as unfortunate.
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has cautioned the police over its handling of the investigation on the recent crisis in Ile-Ife, Osun state.
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The governor, in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, March 23, by his special assistant on public communications and new media, accused the police of displaying ethnic bias in its investigation of the crisis.
He condemned the mayhem and described the loss of innocent souls as unfortunate but added that the bias police investigation of the crisis is not good for the unity of Nigeria and its people, The Punch reports.
Fayose said it was strange that in a clash involving the people of Ile-Ife, who are Yorubas and Hausas, who are settlers in the ancient town, only Yorubas were arrested, taken to Abuja and paraded before the press.
The governor said crime must be treated as crime; “whether committed by Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa or any tribe. However, handling of crime must be without ethnic bias.”
He argued that there was no way the police can convince Nigerians that only those 20 Yorubas that were paraded in Abuja were involved in the crisis.
The governor said the police handling of the Ile Ife crisis suggested that crimes committed by Fulani herdsmen against other Nigerians are not being treated as crimes that should be given attention by the security agencies.
He said: “If there was a clash between Yoruba people and Hausas in Ile-Ife, are the police now saying that only
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“Both Yorubas and Hausa were attacked. Properties belonging to both Yorubas and Hausas were destroyed. Are the police sayings that those 20 Yorubas that they paraded in Abuja were the ones who attacked the Yoruba people that were also victims of the crisis and destroyed those houses belonging to the indigenes of Ile-Ife that were destroyed?
“In my own opinion, the investigation so far conducted by the police was done with ethnic bias and I demand a thorough investigation that is devoid of ethnic sentiments.
“Also, to prevent future reoccurrence of such crisis, I call on the Osun State Government to set up a judicial panel of inquiry to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the crisis, as well as identify the masterminds of the crisis.
“Most importantly, security agencies in the country must treat all crimes as the same, irrespective of those perpetrating them. As it appears, crimes committed by Fulani herdsmen against other Nigerians are not being treated as crimes that should be given attention by the security agencies and this is worrisome.”
Meanwhile,ZENITHBLOG.com had reported that some prominent Nigerians from the south west have criticised the police for its alleged one-sided parade of Ile-Ife residents over the recent clash between the Yoruba and Hausa communities in the ancient city.
A Housa resident in Ile Ife explains to narrates the Ile Ife crisis to ZENITHBLOG.com.
The backlash is also coming on the heels of accusation by the Yoruba Youth Socio-Cultural Association (YYSA), that the presidency had influenced the police investigation on the crisis.
According to Vanguard, the YYSA’s president, Habib Olalekan Hammed, said the Ile-Ife crisis was tainted with an alleged display of great tribalism.
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