Oyo/Ondo crises: FG urges Nigerians to put unity, peace above all 

The Federal Government has called on Nigerians to put unity and peace above all, especially in light of the simmering tension in Ondo and Oyo states.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who gave the advice yesterday in his office in Abuja, urged all citizens in the country to exercise restraint and pursue active efforts on how to use the tools of constructive dialogue, good neighbourliness and the primacy of peace-building as ways of dousing anger and resentment that can only lead to anarchy.

In his speech, entitled: “A time to put unity and peace above all,” which he personally signed, Aregbesola said: “The regrettable incidences of heightening ethnic and religious tension in our country are, in part, outcomes of political and economic strains that have persistently defined our land and continue to exacerbate security challenges, making the task of development more traumatic.

“Government is keenly aware and genuinely concerned about these complications that, sadly, have been sharpened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through the growth of anxieties about issues, life and livelihood in our communities. There will be no tolerance for any act or behaviour capable of jeopardising law and order and security of lives and property in any part of Nigeria,” he said.