BY Chinedu Asadu
Herdsmen in Ekiti have taken a traditional oath to live in peace with host communities in the state.
Violation of the traditional oath – administered on Tuesday by Ardo Mairero, the sarkin Fulani of Kwara state – is said to bring tragedy upon the culprit.
It was administered after a peace meeting convened by Ayodele Fayose, governor of the state.
The herders promised that they would “no longer behave in unruly manner, kill or allow their cows to stray into farms”, read a statement by Idowu Adelusi, Fayose’s chief press secretary.
“It (the oath) was administered with kola and sharing of the kola, which is a Fulani tradition that is binding on the initiators.
“With this oath, issues of robbery, killing, damaging of farms and kidnapping, among others, being allegedly perpetrated by Fulani herders are over in the state.”
Adelusi said among other resolutions reached in the meeting include that all herdsmen “must obey the anti-grazing and relevant laws of the land. That herdsmen must stop attacks on any member of the host communities.
“Any herder that breaches the peace should be prepared to face the wrath of the law, and Ekiti people should not provoke the herdsman or kill their cattle.
“It is therefore agreed that pastoralists/farmers’ crisis and killings, under any guise must stop immediately.
“The meeting supports the anti-night grazing stand of the law because it protects the interest of all parties and the law takes its course in the violation of letters of these resolutions.”
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