Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Friday Osanebi, on Tuesday in Asaba appealed to the people of the state, particularly youths, not to attack Falani herdsmen living in or passing through their communities.
Fielding questions from newsmen at the assembly premises on the reported bloodletting by nomadic Fulani in parts of the country and the tension created by such violent activities, Osanebi stressed that he would not advise retaliation against the herdsmen because that could set the entire nation on fire.
He assured that the government was doing something to stamp out the spate of attacks, killing and destruction attributed to Fulani herdsmen who have also committed several atrocious acts in Delta State in recent past.
What the people in communities with these herdsmen could do is to stay away from them while waiting for the government to take appropriate measures to deal with the situation, he said.
On the threat by President Muhammadu to give suspected militants in the oil-rich Niger-Delta the Boko Haram treatment, the deputy speaker said that the youths and people of the region should not give the president any cause to carry out his threats.
While noting that the people of his oil producing Ndokwa communities have never resorted to blowing up pipelines, Osanebi appealed to to the youths to continue to show understanding and patience even where they were justifiably aggrieved.
“Blasting of oil pipelines is not the best way to express your displeasure or call attention of the concerned authorities to your plight”, the Delta deputy speaker said, urging the host communities to realize that the oil belongs to them just as it belonged to the Federal Government.
