Senate President Ahmad Lawan has expressed that the recent ethnic clash at Shasha Market in Ibadan was sparked by the utterances of some governors from the Southwest.
He made this remark while speaking in an interview with the Hausa Service of the BBC on Saturday.
Lawan asked government to investigate the cause of the Shasha market clash, identify the perpetrators of the violence, and pay compensation to the victims.
“What has happened in Oyo and other southern states of Nigeria has led to a lack of leadership,” he said.
He added: “I would not only say that the governors, but they have an important right to protect the people, and the statements made by some of them have led to provoking the people of these states. They see their leaders as supporting them, they take this step.”
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He said the Senate debated the matter after its recess and condemned the actions of some political leaders for provocative remarks.
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari also sat down with state governors and told them that it was not permissible for any governor to make statements that would provoke violence and unrest in his state.
“He told them that the Nigerian constitution gives every citizen the right to live wherever he wants to live, so no one should be allowed to say that he will expel others from his state because he is not a citizen of the state,” he said.
“Yes, compensation must be paid, but make sure that people are not killed in vain, not just burnt goods and the victims of the shootings, that their cards are followed, or that compensation is paid to find the perpetrators.
“The security forces should arrest them and take them to court to be punished. This is the only way to prevent others from doing the same in the future,” he said.
