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

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. The police blamed the attack on kidnappers in an exchange with PREMIUM TIMES Friday.

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attack and ordered an urgent investigation. Mohammed Adamu, the head of Nigeria police, said additional security measure had been extended to the southern parts of the country following the attack and equally vowed to fish out the perpetrators.

Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s main opposition leader, said the attack has further exposed Nigeria’s acute insecurity under Mr Buhari’s government, and urged urgent law enforcement to respond to the situation.

Amidst a raging ethnically-charged commotion over the killing, Baba Uthman, the 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 held bane (sic) 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,” Mr Uthman said.