Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo has said that no fewer than 800 suspected violent
herdsmen have been arrested across the country by security agencies.
Osinbajo said this in Houston, Texas in the U.S. on Friday at a
Townhall event where he interacted with US-based Nigerians, according to a
statement, issued on Saturday, by his spokesperson Mr Laolu Akande.
The Vice President fielded about 30 live and internet questions
at the event moderated by Mr Rudolf Okonkwo of Sahara Reporters and Prof. Nimi
Wariboko of Boston University.
On the herdsmen attacks in certain states across the country he
said the Federal Government was acting to curb the menace.
“The President has given firm instructions to the security
agencies to arrest not only herdsmen who are attacking communities anywhere in
the country but anyone of them or anyone at all in possession of firearms.
“There are about 800 of suspected violent herdsmen in the
country that are currently in custody,” he said.
The Vice President, however, decried the slow pace of the
criminal justice system which is affecting the prompt trial of such suspects.
Osinbajo reminded the audience that the issue of killings by
such violent herdsmen had been a perennial issue especially as grazing lands
continued to disappear over the years and the cattle fed on peoples crops on
the farmlands.
He clarified that the matter just did not crop up when President
Buhari assumed office.
Osinbajo then cautioned against the tendency of interpreting the
herdsmen issue as a religious issue, stressing that it was important for all
Nigerians to refuse such divisive narratives and tendencies.
He reminded his audience that there had always been conflicts
between herdsmen and communities across the country.
He said that people should disabuse the notion that the problem
had just started because President Buhari, a Fulani, is currently at the helm
of affairs in the country.
On community policing, the Vice President indicated that
community policing via State Police is indeed a cardinal programme of the
ruling APC.
He, however, noted that the party’s agenda could not be
introduced until there was an amendment to the nation’s constitution.
He gave a scenario where a policeman from Bayelsa for instance
was working in Borno where he could neither speak the language nor understand
the culture of the people, noting that such was counterproductive.
“The current situation where police activities are controlled at
the federal level sure has some limitations.
“The federal government is currently working to introduce
community policing that would be in line with the constitution.”
Commenting on the recent arrest of judges in the country, Prof.
Osinbajo told his audience that impunity could be very dangerous in any sector.
He explained that the federal government was only exercising its
executive function in attempting to check excesses.
He pointed out that the important thing was that due process was
being followed as the judges were released about 24 hours after their arrest
and once they had given their statements.
Osinbajo also responded to a question on the state of the
nation’s economy and attributed the current recession to the loss of about 60
per cent of government revenue due to pipeline vandalism and endemic corruption.
He, however, stated that getting back oil production was a sure
way to get out of the recession and the federal government was working to sort
it out.
Answering question from the internet on when former President
Goodluck Jonathan would be arrested, Osinbajo pointed out that the Buhari
administration was not in the business of arresting just anyone anyhow.
He said all the Buhari administration did was to empower the
security agencies and the anti-corruption agencies to do their jobs without
executive interference.
He also added that the fight against corruption in the country
was not fought on ethnic, hasty or premeditated grounds.
“Corruption is not an ethnic thing, there is an equal
representation in the stealing as no one operates with his/her ethnic group
alone.
“The culprits are in every case seen so far, united by greed to
steal and not by ethnic or religious interest.”
He frowned at a situation where for instance as much as 15
billion dollars had disappeared from the national coffers into private pockets,
pointing out that no responsible government would wave that aside.
Commenting on the nation’s decline in international sporting
competitions occasioned by poor funding by the government, the Vice President
said a long-term solution to inadequate funding of sports would be through
private-sector involvement.
According to him, looking around countries that have excelled in
international sporting competitions, the private sector in those countries are
directly involved and that is exactly what should happen in Nigeria.
He expressed the hope that by the time companies and
organizations took up sports sponsorship the tide would change for good.
Source: pmnews
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