The President of Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN), Khalil Muhammad Bello, has called on the Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to compensate families of people killed in the reprisal over the Owo church attack.
In a statement on Sunday, Bello said the reprisal attack could be associated with an allegation by the governor that the attack was carried out by Fulani herdsmen.
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Bello, while commending the security agencies for the arrest of those behind the church attack, said it was interesting that none of the attackers was a Fulani man.
He said, “Truly, the Nigerian security agencies did a wonderful job that deserve commendation not only by Nigerians, but by the entire civilised world.
“Arresting these criminals has exculpated our law-abiding herders who are residing in Ondo State but pointed with fingers that they were among the suspected masterminds of the barbaric act as wrongly painted by the Ondo State Governor, His Excellency, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu.
“This wrong accusation made many herders to be victims of reprisal attacks by touts. In view of this negative development, we want to make it abundantly clear to all that we are not denying the fact that there may be bad eggs, being human beings, but that doesn’t warrant labelling all as criminals.
“We also appeal to Mr Rotimi Akeredolu to kindly pay compensation to the victims of the Owo church reprisals whose relatives were innocently killed or lost their property that are the sources of their livelihoods.”