The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Kola Oluwawole, has cried out over the recent attack on Oke Ako town in Ikole Ekiti Local Government Area of Ekiti State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
While two people were killed in the attack, many others were injured.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Stephen Gbadamosi, he lamented that carrying out incessant attacks on innocent members of a law-abiding community portended grave danger for the nation’s already fragile security setup.
He said, “A couple of months ago, the House of Assembly received a petition from some leaders of the Oke Ako/Irele communities about activities of some foreigners who settled with them in illegal felling of trees.
“The swift action of the House over the matter prevented breakdown of law and order.
“Now, it is Fulani herdsmen that have invaded the communities to massacre their supposed hosts.
“Much as the people of Ekiti State remain friendly and receptive to visitors, we shall not condone unnecessary trampling on the rights of our people.”
The Speaker, however, called on members of the affected community and the state in general to remain law-abiding, as government would do all within its power to get to the root of the matter and prevent a repeat of such attack.
“I wish to appeal to the people not to attempt to take laws into their hands, as the government will do everything possible to get to the root of the matter.
“The legislature is liaising with the state government to come up with a firm action that will prevent the reoccurrence of such evil in the future.
“We, as a people, are ready to co-habit with our visitors, but we will not allow unscrupulous elements and criminals to take advantage of that to truncate the peace in our land.”
He added, “While I, on behalf of the House of Assembly, commiserate with families of the affected, we are again calling on the Federal Government to take a decisive stand on the mindless killings being perpetrated by the herdsmen.”
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