A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has faulted a recent report by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, that conflict in the North East has directly led to the death of approximately 35,000 people.

UNDP had further warned that the conflict could amount to the loss of 1.1 million Nigerian lives by 2030.

The report warned that indirect deaths, including disease and hunger resulting from the conflict’s physical and economic destruction, already far outnumber those from direct causes.

But Fani-Kayode says much more people than were indicated have been killed by the decade long insurgency.

Countering the report, Fani Kayode said he believes about one million people have lost their lives to the conflicts, adding that Fulani herdsmen have killed over five hundred thousand Nigerians.

“The UNDP claims that Boko Haram has killed 350,000 Nigerians since it began its operations in 2010,” he tweeted.

“Sadly I believe they have killed far more than that & that the figure is closer to 1 million. I also believe the Fulani terrorists have killed no less than 500,000 souls in 5 years.”

Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain called on popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, to tell the world what he has been benefitting from defending bandits who kill, maim and kidnap innocent citizens in the North West.

Fani-Kayode also wants the Islamic scholar to tell Nigerians the centre of the discussion whenever he meets the bandits in the forests.

“The issue is not who goes into the forest to meet the terrorists with you but rather what you say to them when you get there and what you gain by constantly defending them and attempting to justify and rationalise their barbaric actions.

“You are their best friend, that makes you a terrorist as well and you ought to have been arrested long ago.”