From JAMES AWANO, Abuja
The Federal Government at the weekend declared that those behind the recent crisis in Osun State will not go unpunished.
The crisis, which ignited hostilities between Hausa and Yoruba communities in the state, had claimed many lives and destroyed many properties.
Speaking with State House correspondents, the Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Danbazzau, said that those behind the crisis will be brought to book in line with the laws of the land.
He said: “I was able to visit Ife yesterday on my arrival from South Africa where I went in company of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss with the South African government on the issues pertaining to the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians.
“I moved straight to Ife yesterday because of what happened in Ife when we were away. The Deputy governor of Osun State because the governor was away here in Abuja for NEC meeting, received me and my entourage and we went straight to the community where this crisis occurred and we saw the extent of damage and we met the leadership of the community and we discussed with them.
“We also emphasis the need to remain in peace and the issue of revenge, reprisal shouldn’t come to anybody’s mind because the government is handling the situation and those who are found to be involved and deliberately attack and take people’s lives and destroyed properties will be dealth with in accordance with the law.
“We made them understand that the government is up and doing, the government is taking up its responsibility in ensuring that it protects lives and properties because in accordance with chapter two of the constitution, the purpose of government is protection of lives and properties.” he said
Stressing that the crisis was not caused by ethnicity, he said that the Hausa and Yoruba communities in the State have lived peacefully in the last two hundred years.
According to him, some thugs in the state took the law into their hands, attacked, killed innocent Nigerians and destroyed properties.
He said “And it is very clear that this issue is not about crisis between Hausa community and Yoruba community in Ife. The Hausa community has been leaving in Ife close to 200 years. I understand that the first settlers arrived in 1820 and this is about the 4th or 5th generation.
“They have never experienced this kind of thing until now. So it is not about ethnic issue. It is about a bunch of people who decided to constitute themselves nuisance to carry out this dastardly act. Quite a number of them escaped from the community.
“So we made them understand that they should not look at it from the point of ethnicity and they all agreed.
He also disclosed that he held another meeting in Ibadan to endure that the Hausa community continue to live peacefully in the entire South West.
“Then I moved to Ibadan the same day and met with all the leaderships of Hausa community in the South West. We discussed all the issues and that they should discuss with their people to ensure peaceful co-existence.” he stated
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