Nigerian activist and lawyer, Femi Falana, has faulted the quit notice issued to Fulanis Herdsmen in the Southeast by Sunday Igboho.
Falana described Igboho’s eviction order as unlawful and wrong.
Igboho, a Yoruba activist had asked all Fulanis Herdsmen in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State, to leave the community following allegations of criminal activities.
However, Falana said Fulani people have every right to live in Ibarapa land.
Speaking with BBC, the Senior Advocate cautioned against the generalisation of criminal elements.
Falana said those responsible for criminal acts should be made to face the wrath of law without an entire ethnic group being labelled criminals.
He said: “With profound respect under our laws, even a squatter cannot be ejected and that is why on a daily basis, tenants are given quit notices by landlords or owners of properties.
“So, a private citizen cannot wake up and say anybody should leave the community, you must embrace the rule of law. Nobody can do that, not even the government because section 43 of the constitution says every citizen shall have the right to own and acquire properties in any parts of the country.
“The campaign of the human rights community is that if you are born in a place, or you have lived for not less than ten years in any part of the country, you should be considered an indigene and be entitled to all the rights and privileges of the so-called indigenes of the state. So, for me, there is no way I can embrace anyone who has given quit notice to any group of people.
“We must stop the idea of criminal profiling. If anybody has committed an offence or a group of people has committed an offence, we must fish them out and have them tried under the law but you can’t wake up and say all Yoruba people, all Hausa people are criminals, all Igbo people are criminals. No, it is a fallacy of generalisation.”
