Former President Goodluck Jonathan found himself Sunday embarrassed by his being discovered to have edited his initial posts on Facebook and Twitter, following the killing of Funke Olakunrin, daughter of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the leader of one of the Afenifere factions.
From earlier reports ‘armed Fulani herdsmen’ reportedly ambushed motorists on the Ore-Benin Road on Friday and shot Olakunrin fatally in her car. But the police later gave a clarification that the ethnicity of the attackers is unknown. And there were reports they were masked.
Like some Nigerians grieving with Pa Fasoranti, Jonathan issued four tweets condoling with the old man:
“My heart goes out to Chief Reuben Fasoranti and his entire family over the untimely death of his daughter, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, at the hands of suspected herdsmen.
Jonathan’s Twitter and Facebook posts in contrast
“No one deserves to hear such news, not the least being Pa Fasoranti, a man that has given so much to Nigeria and asked so little.
“I am encouraged by the message from the Governor of Ondo state and his assurances that those behind this heinous and callous crime will be brought to book.
“Baba, may God comfort you and your family and grant you the fortitude to bear the loss, even as we pray that the Almighty returns peace to Nigeria. My family and I offer you our deepest solidarity now and always. We also extend our arm in love to Afenifere.” GEJ.
Jonathan on Twitter
Jonathan on Facebook
The post on Facebook was however slightly different and maybe more politically correct as “Herdsmen’ was replaced by gunmen.
This triggered suspicions that the former president in going soft on Facebook was reacting to comments that Nigerians are attributing every violent crime committed in the Nigerian south to ‘Fulani herdsmen’, an ethnic profiling that is believed could set the Fulani men against all other ethnic groups.
ON Saturday night, Mi-Yetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) addressed the danger of alienating the Fulani group, when it appealed to Nigeria’s media men and politicians to stop the negative profiling of Fulani, by connecting them to all killings.
Mr Baba Ngelzarma, the National Secretary of the association made the appeal in Abuja as he sent a condolence message on behalf of MACBAN to Pa Reuben Fasoranti over the death of his daughter, Funke Olakunri.
He added that the association was shocked on how a section of the media in collaboration with elements in the country is using the opportunity to fuel crisis in Nigeria.
He regretted that these elements continue a negative profiling of Fulani 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 employed and deployed 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,’’ the scribe said.
Ngelzarman condemned and distanced the members of the association from the killing of Olakunrin.
