Nigeria’s Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has warned Nigeria against being political with the recent killings in Benue state.

 

Prof. Osinbajo who spoke in Abuja yesterday said it was rather unfortunate that some people wanted to benefit politically from the killings in Benue, Rivers, Adamawa, Plateau and other states.

 

“We have seen even recently the killings that have resulted in attacks of herdsmen on farmers and communities and also where communities have attacked herdsmen.

 

“The state of violence and loss of lives in Rivers State, the Badoo killings in Lagos and Ogun; the president has ordered the police and armed forces to deal decisively with these killings to ensure that the perpetrators are found and punished.

 

“But we recognize that as dangerous and deadly, as heartless as these killings are, (there) is also the danger of allowing politics to play a part and to sometimes, as they say, pour petrol into already burning fire.

 

“We must not permit the politicization of this tragedy. He said one of the reasons the Boko Haram strifelasted for years was because of the politicization of the insurgency.

 

“There were those who were planning to benefit politically from the tragedy and they painted the opposition then as the perpetrator.

 

“Again we have seen some today who want to benefit politically from the killings of women and children in Adamawa, Benue, Jos and several other places, stoking the embers of ethnicity and religion.

 

“By their hate speeches, they want to fix their criminal acts of a few individuals on the whole tribe and a whole people and will want to create religious crisis if we allow.”

 

The Vice President said the obligation of the Nigerian government is to stop any Nigerian from playing dangerous politics that could threaten the country’s unity and stability.

 

Picture: Viewpoint