Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, and his counterparts from five northern states will hold a security meeting today in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Governor Abiodun disclosed this on Monday while leading security chiefs and some members of the State Executive Council to some areas in the state where herdsmen had killed some residents of the state.
The governor, however, had a hectic time calming down aggrieved villagers at Oja-Odan when he attempted to address them over the matter.
He later visited Igbooro, where three persons were killed and nine injured in a Sunday night attack.
Some of the areas attacked by the Fulani herdsmen are Eggua, Ketu, Igbooro, Iselu, Agbon-Ojodu, Asa, Ibeku, Imeko and Oja-Odan.
Speaking on today’s meeting with the five northern governors whose identity he did not disclose, Abiodun said they were of Fulani extraction.
He assured the residents that all the concerned groups would be represented with a view to charting a way forward on the security situation in the state.
Abiodun said, “I have called a stakeholders’ meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) with my colleague governors, who are Fulani and have people here.
“Five governors are coming to Abeokuta from the northern states. We will call some of you to the meeting to discuss the matter.”
He said the agenda for the meeting with the northern governors was to chart a way forward on the ethnic crisis in the state.
On the agenda of the meeting, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kunle Somorin, said, “The stakeholders’ meeting is a confidence building engagement and conflict management mechanism adopted by the state government to ensure that people of diverse ethnic backgrounds live together in peace and harmony.
“All stakeholders are expected to lay their grievances, if any, and for solutions to the orgy of bloodletting among people, who had a template for conflict management and peaceful coexistence for ages.”
The governor also assured the people that he would hand over some security vehicles and motorcycles to the special task force he set up for Yewaland on Tuesday.
He said, “The delegation I sent told me what they saw. They said a lot of things happened and as they were giving the report of what they saw, we heard that another attack happened.
“I called a security meeting this morning. And before yesterday, I had set up a task force and bought new vehicles and motorcycles for Yewaland security.
“The task force consists of the police, soldiers, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and hunters to help us in terms of security in your area.
“Tomorrow by God’s grace, all the new vehicles and motorcycles will be released. The task force will be stationed here; they will not only patrol your areas and go back to Abeokuta.”
Governor Abiodun promised to foot the hospital bills of those who were injured by the herdsmen and also pledged to help those who lost their property during the attacks to cushion the effects of their losses.
Meanwhile, villagers in some of the affected areas in Yewaland have deserted their homes.
Earlier, the Eselu of Iseluland, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, said the people of Ketuland were demanding that the governor give an order for the eviction of Fulani herdsmen in the area.
Olu of Ilaro and Paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, said his subjects were no longer sleeping with their eye closed due to the herdsmen attacks.