Group urges South, Middle Belt Governors to reject FG's armed agro-rangers - NaijaAgroNet

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The Pan Yoruba self-determination coalition known as Apapo Oodua Koya (AOKOYA), has urged the South and Middle Belt State Governors to reject the agro-rangers which the Federal Government of Nigeria has proposed to deploy to states, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to the group in a press statement available to NaijaAgroNet, 'This is RUGA in disguise. It is an attempt to give protection to violent pastorist Fulanis, who are bent on taking over Yoruba territories by force of arms."

The coalition in a statement on Tuesday, alleged that the Federal Government has already trained and armed up to 8,000 agro-rangers who are already being deployed to forests across the country on the false assumption that they would mediate in clashes between armed Fulani and farmers.

AOKOYA said the agro-rangers are under the command of Abubakar Audi,a Fulani man who is conscious of the domineering mission of his ethnic group.

Col. Abimbola Sowunmi (rtd) in a statement said the plot is to dominate the forests of indigenous people and aid the takeover of indigenous territories by force of arms by the Fulani.

"The Federal Government led by Fulani elements did the recruitment, the training without consultation with the state governments. We are aware that 70 per cent of those recruited are from a particular section of the country. They have been well-trained, armed and the Federal Government is bent on deploying them to forests. This is a state-run guerilla movement aimed at aiding Fulani occupation of indigenous forests," the group alleged.

AOKOYA also urged State Governors in the South and Middle Belt to reject any attempt to deploy agro-rangers to their territories.

The group emphasised that states are in the best position to protect their ancestral forests not agro-rangers who are Fulani collaborators.

Noteworthy, they said, the mission of the agro-rangers is to "resolve dispute between Fulani and land-owners' as stated by the Federal Government while the real issue is that indigenous peoples do not want armed Fulani on their land in the first place.

"This scheme is a protectionist strategy to empower the Fulani and deepen their presence across forests in the South and the Middle Belt" AOKOYA said.
Further, AOKOYA said the scheme also involves training of Fulani herdsmen in pastoralism insisting that if the States allow them, agro-rangers, they would have handed over the policing of their forest to Fulani in disguise.

The group said the current federal government is desperate to actualize the unfulfilled dream of Uthman Dan Fodio.