Categories: News

Sunday Igboho Quit Notice To Fulani Herdsmen Illegal – Falana

Those affected should challenge the eviction order in court.
Nigerians should refrain from the culture of criminal profile.
Dereliction of duty by government birthed Sunday Igboho prominence

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says the eviction notice issued to Fulani herdsmen by Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader better known as Sunday Igboho, is unconstitutional.

On January 16, Igboho and some youths stormed the residence of Salihu Abdukadir, Seriki Fulani, leader of the Fulani group, in Ibarapa local government area of the state, to vent their frustration and displeasure with the killings and and abductions in the area.

Subsequently, Igboho gave Fulani herdsmen in the state seven days to leave, saying they are responsible for the attacks and kidnappings.

But in an interview with BBC on Wednesday, Falana said Igboho, being a private citizen, does not have the power to unilaterally declare Fulani herdsmen persona non grata in the state.

Falana said those affected by the ejection order could go to court to seek redress and ask court to issue an injunction stopping the effect of such order.

“Anybody who is affected by such illegal quit notices would have to go to court to stop whoever is issuing the notices. That is the law but don’t let us resort to violence; it is unnecessary. With profound respect under our laws, even a squatter cannot be ejected and that is why on a daily basis, tenants are given quit notices by landlords or owners of properties,” he said.

“So, a private citizen cannot wake up and say anybody should leave the community. You must embrace the rule of law. Nobody can do that, not even the government because section 43 of the constitution says every citizen shall have the right to own and acquire properties in any parts of the country.

Falana, who said he can’t hobnob with anyone who issues controversy and illegal quit notice to people, averred that some of the herders, who had lived in the area for about 10 years, have the constitutional right to continue residing there and should enjoy the same privileges and benefits that Indigenes are entitled to.

He admonished the citizenry to do away with the culture of criminal profiling, noting that the bad behaviour and criminal tendencies of individuals should not be used to stereotype or adjudge the entire ethnic group that such persons come from.

“We must stop the idea of criminal profiling. If anybody has committed an offence or a group of people has committed an offence, we must fish them out and have them tried under the law but you can’t wake up and say all Yoruba people, all Hausa people are criminals, all Igbo people are criminals. No, it is a fallacy of generalisation.

“The government must ensure that the lives of the citizens are secured. It is the abdication of the duty of the government that has made the Sunday Igbohos to be relevant in the society. That is why private citizens give quit notices to people from other parts of the country. It is not the right way to fight this problem. We need to have ranches, in Oyo State in particular.

“The largest abattoir in West Africa is located in Oyo State but the state government has not allowed the abattoir to function for the past nine years. Is that how to run a country? The scientific way of solving this problem has been abandoned. So, why would a Sunday Igboho not take over the government of that state? That is what is going on.”