The
Presidency on Sunday insisted that some politicians were behind the killings
allegedly carried out by herdsmen in parts of the country.
The Senior
Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a
statement on Sunday, said the administration was in possession of evidence to
prove that some politicians were using criminals to perpetuate the killings.
Shehu
however appealed to all citizens as well as members of the international
community to refrain from spreading false stories and inflammatory statements
concerning the recent herder-farmer clashes.
The
statement read, “The Presidency is appealing to all its citizens as well as
members of the international community to refrain from spreading false stories
and inflammatory statements concerning the recent herder-farmer clashes.
“The
Nigerian government is working closely with state governments and the security
services – as well as international partners – in order to resolve this ongoing
issue.
“The clashes
between herders and farmers are historical. The causes of these confrontations
are varied and complex.
“Climate
change, specifically the drying up of the Chad Basin, has led to more pressure
on the population in the North of Nigeria, which further compounded the
problem.
“As
President Buhari indicated lately, there is evidence of involvement of some
politicians using criminals to perpetuate the killings.
”Climate
change is an issue of global significance and the Nigerian Government is determined
to continue working closely with its neighbours in order to ensure that a
long-term solution can be implemented.”
The
statement added that ”the Federal Government makes no distinction amongst the
population and works tirelessly to protect all Nigerian people.”
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