Leaders of the Fulani community in Delta State have disowned a publication where unknown authors threatened to attack Asaba and Agbor if Governor Ifeanyi Okowa does not withdraw his support for the ban on open grazing in the southern part of the country within 72 hours.
An anonymous letter containing the threat which was titled “Fulani Jihadist Warning: An Open Message of 2 Paragraphs to Delta State” had on Sunday caused tension in the oil-rich state.
The Fulani leaders told reporters in Asaba on Monday that they have been very apprehensive since the letter went into circulation.
The leaders including Muktar Usman, Musa Mohammed, Haruna Abubakar, Useni Haruna among others, said none of their followers was responsible for the publication.
Mr Muktar Usman who doubles as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Okowa on Special Duties said they were disappointed with the anonymous publication, adding that fear of attack by their host communities heightened since Sunday.
“We are not part and parcel of that nonsense, and we condemn this act in all ramifications. We are Nigerians and we have a good understanding with our host communities. We are at peace with our host communities.
“We are calling on the state government and security agencies to fish out those behind it. We are more accepted in Delta than in our own states of origin. I want to encourage our people to remain peace-loving and not create unnecessary tension.
“Since yesterday (Sunday) all Fulanis were panicking, they were expecting that the host community can attack them at any time, of which they do not know what is going,” Usman said.
Musa Mohammed, who is Sariki Delta, said they have been in Delta for over 40 years, insisting that they knew nothing about the publication.
“This is our home and we cannot create problems for the state because this is where we earn a living. Government should bring those people who did that publication. We are very peace-loving and Delta has been good to us,” he said