Shasha Violence: Osinbajo, South-West Governors Move To Avert Reprisal Attacks

In view of the current phase of insurgence in the western part of the country, the South-Western governors advised residents of Shasha local government (Ojoo Ibadan) to avoid their planned retaliation on their Hausa neighbours.

The crisis started on, weekend. Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who was led to the Shasha market by his Oyo State counterpart, Governor Seyi Makinde, urged the Yoruba elders in the area to prevail on the youths to allow peace to reign.

On his part, Governor Makinde, yesterday, vowed to resist attempts of those he described as fifth columnists to destabilize the state. The governor’s remarks came, as the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Makinde to investigate the incident. Akeredolu preaches peace Akeredolu, who addressed the people of the area after assessing the wanton destruction of properties, begged the residents to allow peace to reign.

He said: “We have come to plead with you that no matter how angry, we should not react violently. I know many things may get us angry, but as we know, we have been living together for a long time. Let us think about the past, let us consider our peaceful coexistence in the past. Let us be calm. “I have come on behalf of all South-West Governors, I beg you to be calm.

While thinking about us here, let us also know that we are also everywhere. This is our fatherland, no doubt, but our people are also in some other people’s fatherland. We must also think about them. “Let us not take laws into our hands. The police are here and they are ready to work now. Amotekun officers are here for you. I’m not saying that for us as Governors that we are perfect or the police are perfect.

But we can’t take laws into our hands. Please, we know it might be very provocative but I appeal for calm because we have families in the North. Let us cooperate with Governor Seyi Makinde.” I’ll resist fifth columnists from destabilising Oyo —Makinde Also speaking, Governor Makinde, who urged the people not to resort to self-help, called for peaceful co-existence.

He said: “I want you to listen to me, you cannot resort to self-help to solve the issue on the ground. All of you who are here are doing business with one another in one way or the other. “The last time I came here, about six weeks ago, some shops belonging to Hausa and Yoruba people got burnt. “So, you have been living together peacefully and all I am pleading of you is that no matter what is making anyone angry, we will solve it with patience.

“I was reluctant to declare curfew here because I felt the economic wellbeing of everyone here is important, and because this is where you get what you use to feed yourselves. I will engage with your leaders this evening. “We must not lose any life needlessly anymore. What the government will do to ensure that those whose houses, shops were burnt, we will rebuild immediately.

I can assure you that we will deal with the situation. “We must continue to maintain the peace here. Those who are hoodlums here will be dealt with but those who are law-abiding will be compensated for what they have lost. “We will leave no stone unturned in providing adequate security for our brothers and sisters.

This is unwarranted and we must bring anyone found culpable of this dastardly act to book.” Earlier, Makinde, who spoke through the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, said his administration was trying to maintain the peaceful atmosphere that the State has been known for.

He said: “It is unfair for anybody to say the government has not done enough to nip insecurity in the bud, Governor Seyi Makinde is one of the governors in Nigeria that always make all possible efforts at ensuring peace in his State. “He never for any reason abandoned his role as the Chief Security Officer of the State, and you can see that he has brought calm to Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun zones after the recent hullabaloo there.

“We have seen and heard them, politics should not be introduced into the important issue of security of lives and properties of our people, they should know for sure that this administration will not allow anything that will create fear for investors and business concerns to come into our State and create wealth for our people.