The Northern Elders Forum has dissociated itself from recent comments on the Fulani Herdsmen killings attributed to its leader, Paul Unongo.
Unongo made headlines last week when he accused former vice president, Atiku Abubakar of being behind the Fulani Herdsmen attacks in Benue state.
Below is a statement signed by the Deputy chairman of the forum, Alhaji Sani Daura;
” The attention of the Northern Elders Forum has been drawn to yet another report of partisan statement made by its leader, Chief Paul Unongo directed against the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The Forum regrets to have to publicly disown yet another controversy by Unongo in this recent times.
While Chief Unongo reserves the right to hold and express personal views against any issue, he however does not have the right to drag the entire Forum into unnecessary controversies at will.
We therefore advice that if Chief Unongo has any grudges against any personality or group, he should vent them in his personal capacity and not use the platform of the Forum.
Again we are not aware that President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to heed our advice on this matter as there was never any such advice contrary to Unongo’s claim in the report.
It is on record that since inception six years ago, the Forum has never been this controversial in its approach to issues and never committed itself on anything without finding solid grounds.
But since the transition that followed the death of its founder and pioneer leader, the Danmasanin Kano Alhaji Maitama Sule, it has unnecessarily been dragged from one controversy to another.
Without blaming any person or group, the Northern Elders Forum hereby condemns the unnecessary killings in Kaduna, Plateau, Benue and Kogi states and indeed other parts of the north and the country generally.
We call on government to urgently act against such wanton lawlessness by identifying the perpetrators and dealing with them in the same way other disturbances in the Northeast and other parts of the country are being dealt with.”
