The Oba of Benin, Omo N’oba N’edo, Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II has called on President Muhamamdu Buhari to take drastic and urgent action to stop the incessant killing of innocent Nigerians by suspected herdsmen.

The Oba of Benin who made the call over the weekend when he paid a courtesy visit to the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola at Government House, Osogbo also urged the Presidency to strengthen security in every part of the country.

“I want you to mobilize your colleagues in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to address the issue of insecurity in the country and do something to stop the unwarranted killings by herdsmen in Benue, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Edo and other parts of the country.

“It is unfortunate that this is going on in our land; we want something to be quickly done as soon as possible so that Nigerians can know peace because people are being swallowed by cattle in the land,” the Oba told Aregbesola, who was represented by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

While calling on the Federal Government to guarantee peace for Nigerians, he added: “The bloodletting is too much in the land and the nation is bleeding, we want a stop to this. The killing of innocent citizens has to stop in every part of this country.

“It is worrisome that the trending news in the country today is killing here and there, no day you will not hear the news that people have been butchered by herdsmen.”

In a related development, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has also urged the President to put a stop to the recurring killings in many parts of Nigeria, describing it as ethnic cleansing.

Soyinka, who made the call in a statement he released on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buhari must act urgently to stem the scourge and prevent Nigeria from sinking into an abyss.\

“Give a nation-wide order to call land usurpers in the affected towns and villages across the nation to quit those forcefully occupied lands within a 48 hours deadline. Issue orders to the military and police that, where illegal occupiers are found they should be meted the same treatment as are accorded terrorists.

“Instruct all agencies that, once cleared of usurpers, the rightful occupants should be escorted back to their farmsteads and villages and provided maximum protection,” Soyinka said.

He added: “We must go beyond arresting a token handful of herders caught with arms-there are still hundreds of them in the forests.

“It is not enough to back the anti-open grazing laws, so late in the day, but we shall leave that for later. Right now, the violated and dispossessed demand restitution, and with no further delay or subterfuge.

“All available forces should be deployed to right a hideous, unprecedented wrong that has left the nation drowning in blood – we simply cannot continue one day longer to endure this forceful feeding of human blood.”