Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose cautions police over handling of Ile-Ife crisis

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has cautioned the police over the handling of investigation on the recent crisis in Ile-Ife, Osun State that led to the death of more than 40 people.

He accused the police of displaying ethnic bias in its investigation and this is not good for the unity of Nigeria and its people.

The governor, who condemned the killing of innocent people and destruction of properties in Ile-Ife, 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.”

Fayose said it was strange that in a clash involving the people of Ile-Ife, who are Yorubas and Hausa, who are settlers in the ancient town, only Yorubas were arrested, taken to Abuja and paraded before the press.”

The governor, in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, condemned the mayhem and described the loss of innocent souls as unfortunate.

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 wondered that the same police that intervened promptly in the Ile-Ife crisis, made arrests and paraded 20 people as alleged masterminds of the mayhem had not been able to arrest and parade any of the killer Fulani herdsmen that had wasted and still wasting the lives of thousands of Nigerians across the country.

The statement said, “If there was a clash between Yoruba people and Hausas in Ile-Ife, are the police now saying that only the Yorubas took part in the crisis?

“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.”