Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) on Saturday extended its condolences to the family of Mr Reuben Fasoranti, a foremost Yoruba leader whose daughter was killed in an ambush on Friday afternoon.

Mrs Funke Olakunrin was travelling to Lagos when gunmen ambushed her vehicle and other travellers near Ore, Ondo State, killing her on the spot and wounding her female aide.

The attack has sparked nationwide anxiety, amidst claims that it was carried out by herdsmen who wanted to kidnap the 58-year-old.

Police blamed the attack on kidnappers.

Amidst a raging ethnically-charged commotion over the killing, Mr Baba Uthman, national security official of the cattle breeders’ union, recognised the death as a huge loss to the nation and sympathised with the Fasorantis.

He also called on irate Nigerians to allow security agencies enough time to investigate the violence and withhold conclusions about the ethnic identity of the killers in the interest of national unity.

“As we express sincere heartfelt condolence to the family of the deceased, we are left in a deep shock on how a section of the media in collaboration with elements in the country that are hell bent on using every opportunity available to them to fuel crisis as they continue the negative profiling of Fulanis for their total annihilation by jumping into a mischievous conclusion that she was killed by herdsmen.

“We strongly condemn this very unprofessional, unpatriotic and callous news reportage patterns that have been conscripted against our people by the section of the media.

“We are calling on security agencies to swing into action, and unravel the perpetrators to bring them to justice in the shortest possible time,” Uthman said.

PT