Dr Ahmed Lawan, Nigeria’s President of the Senate
Nigeria’s Senate president, Dr Ahmad Lawan, has said that governors of the South-West states are responsible for the recent killings and violence against northerners, in Sasa Market, Ibadan, Oyo State.
However, the same Senate President who swore to serve all Nigerians and not northern Nigeria had been silent over the serial destructions of farmlands in the South-West by Fulanis from the north as well as the raping of women, killing and maiming of innocent citizens of the South-West by Fulani herdsmen and bandits from the northern Nigeria.
Lawan also accused the governors of culpability for the violence and attacks against northerners in the South West region. Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, the senate president attributed the violence to the latest call for the eviction of Fulani herders out of south western states, adding that utterances by some south west governors were responsible for the killings in Sasa Market in Ibadan, Oyo State and other violence against northerners in the region.
“Leadership failures in the region caused what happened in Oyo State and other things that kept happening in the south western states. Some utterances by some governors also went a long way in inciting the citizens to take up arms against other ethnic groups settling in their states. The governors’ utterances emboldened the criminals to unleash violence against the northerners.”
Violence erupted on February 18, 2021 in Sasa Market, following an argument between two traders, a south westerner and a northerner. Following the development, shops and some houses around the market were burnt down while no less than 20 persons were said to have been killed.
