Soldiers are yet to be deployed to the South-West to tackle killer herdsmen.
During a condolence visit to Fasoranti on July 14, the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, had said the Federal Government would consider troops deployment on the highways.
Also at a stakeholders’ meeting attended by the Vice-President in Osogbo on July 23, it was agreed that security agencies would carry out an aerial surveillance of the South-West forests.
The Vice-President’s office, on Thursday, however, said Osinbajo only said troop deployment was a possible option to be taken by the Federal Government.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the VP, Mr Laolu Akande, stated that “the Vice-President said it was one of the options (troop deployment); not that he gave a date. Go and check what he said again. He said one of the options.”
The acting Director of Defence Information, Col Onyema Nwachukwu, in an interview in Abuja, said if a directive was given, the military would comply.
Traditional rulers, including the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji; motorists and residents of the South-West in separate interviews confirmed that the Federal Government was yet to deploy troops in the zone as it promised after Mrs Funke Olakunri, a daughter of the Afenifere leader, Pa Ruben Fasorati, was killed by herdsmen in Ondo State on July 12.
Some of them also said that the threat by herdsmen, who had been kidnapping people and attacking farmers in the region, still persisted.
On Thursday, the Vice-President’s office said Osinbajo did not promise a date for troop deployment on highways, but only stated that it was being considered as an option to tackle insecurity
When asked to comment on remarks by traditional rulers that there was no military presence in their areas and their people could not go to farms, Nwachukwu stated, “If a directive is given, the armed forces definitely have to comply. Everything has to go through due process.”
He, however, said that there were existing joint operations with other security agencies in the zone.
He stated, “The fact is that we have an existing joint operations with other security agencies in the South-West. Although we have an existing operation, if a directive is given, definitely, those operations can be reviewed. We have Operation Awatse which we are jointly conducting with other security agencies. There are other Quick Response groups around there.”
