The Palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Anaje, has said that the recent turbaning of Fulani leaders across the five Local Government Areas of the kingdom is designed to strengthen peace, security and accountability, not to cede land or heritage.
A statement by the Director of Protocol to His Royal Majesty, Musa Usman, said the concerns raised by Ebira indigenes were genuine and reflected love for the people’s identity and safety.
According to the Palace, the turbaning was endorsed by the Ohinoyi in consultation with government and security agencies. The arrangement, it said, would provide the Fulani community with a clear leadership structure answerable to both the Palace and security operatives.
The initiative, the statement added, has three objectives — ensuring responsibility and accountability among Fulani leaders, strengthening security collaboration with authorities, and binding commitments through a Memorandum of Understanding which sets out obligations and consequences for violations.
The National President of Fulani Leaders in Nigeria, who attended the ceremony, described the development as unprecedented. He pledged that the Fulani community would work to guarantee peace, assuring farmers and residents that farmlands would be safe.
The Accountant General of Kogi State, Chief (Dr.) Habibat Oyiza Tijani-Onumoko, who represented the Governor, praised the Ohinoyi for what she called a bold and visionary step. She pledged the government’s support for the monarch’s peacebuilding efforts.
Reiterating its position, the Palace stressed that the turbaning neither compromises Ebira heritage nor involves land concessions. Instead, it said, the goal is to restore safety to farmlands, protect livelihoods and entrench peaceful coexistence.
The statement urged stakeholders and citizens to remain united, vigilant and supportive in safeguarding the collective interest of Ebiraland.
