The country in recent weeks has been experiencing a series of conflicts ranging from farmers/herders clashes to communities clashes, thereby causing unrest in various parts of the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari in a reaction to these reports of breakout of violence warned that his government will not allow any ethnic or religious group to stoke up hatred and violence against other groups.
The president’s warning was disclosed in a statement on Sunday evening by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.
The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that his government will protect all religious and ethnic groups, whether majority or minority, in line with its responsibility under the constitution.
“In a reaction to reports of breakout of violence in some parts of the country by some ethnic and sectional groups, President Buhari warned that the government will not allow any ethnic or religious group to stoke up hatred and violence against other groups.
“The President condemned such violence and gave assurance that his government will act decisively to stop the spread of any such violence.
“He appealed to religious and traditional leaders as well governors and other elected leaders across the country to join hands with the Federal Government to ensure that communities in their domain are not splintered along ethnic and other primordial lines.”
The President’s message came at a time of a reported case of ethnic violence in Shasa area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Saturday.
It was reported that trouble started on Thursday when a Yoruba cobbler was stabbed by a Hausa cart pusher in Sasha market after a misunderstanding which later degenerated into an ethnic conflict.
The stabbed victim was confirmed dead in a hospital on Friday morning which led to ethnic crisis in the community between the Hausa and the Yorubas in an attempt to avenge the death of the cobbler.
The conflicts further spread beyond the market, as the Hausa and Yoruba communities in Akinyele Local Government Area, where the market is located, went after each other.
The aftermath of the fight left at least ten people dead and several injured with plenty of houses, shops and goods burnt and destroyed.
