The Northern
Elders Forum has dissociated itself from recent comments on the Fulani Herdsmen
killings attributed to its leader, Paul Unongo.
Unongo made
headlines last week when he accused former vice president, Atiku Abubakar of
being behind the Fulani Herdsmen attacks in Benue state.
Below is a
statement signed by the Deputy chairman of the forum, Alhaji Sani Daura;
" The
attention of the Northern Elders Forum has been drawn to yet another report of
partisan statement made by its leader, Chief Paul Unongo directed against the
former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The Forum
regrets to have to publicly disown yet another controversy by Unongo in this
recent times.
While Chief
Unongo reserves the right to hold and express personal views against any issue,
he however does not have the right to drag the entire Forum into unnecessary
controversies at will.
We therefore
advice that if Chief Unongo has any grudges against any personality or group,
he should vent them in his personal capacity and not use the platform of the
Forum.
Again we are
not aware that President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to heed our advice on
this matter as there was never any such advice contrary to Unongo's claim in
the report.
It is on
record that since inception six years ago, the Forum has never been this
controversial in its approach to issues and never committed itself on anything
without finding solid grounds.
But since
the transition that followed the death of its founder and pioneer leader, the
Danmasanin Kano Alhaji Maitama Sule, it has unnecessarily been dragged from one
controversy to another.
Without
blaming any person or group, the Northern Elders Forum hereby condemns the
unnecessary killings in Kaduna, Plateau, Benue and Kogi states and indeed other
parts of the north and the country generally.
We call on
government to urgently act against such wanton lawlessness by identifying the
perpetrators and dealing with them in the same way other disturbances in the
Northeast and other parts of the country are being dealt with."
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