46 armed Fulani arrested in Oyo are vigilantes who protect communities: Miyeti Allah

President of the Mietti Allah Livestock Breeders Association in Oyo Alhaji State Ibrahim Jiji said on Monday that while it is true that his team was planning to raid some forests alongside Amotekun corps fighters, they raided without guards. in his association.

He has asked the Oyo State government to release 46 Fulani in police custody, stating that they are members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), which protects people in Ibarap land.

Gigi, who said at a press conference in Ibadan this Monday, he said that the arrested vigilantes were among the people who had been invited to rescue some of the kidnapping victims in the area.

Sahara Reporter reported on a controversy surrounding the alleged murder of a 70-year-old man and his two sons in the Ibarapah area of ​​the state on Saturday.

Explaining how they were arrested, Gigi said; “They invited us to a meeting in Ibadan, where they said they needed our support to combat the insecure situation in the Ibarap area. We told them that we would give them 50 of our warriors, Fulani.

“They have been lynching for a long time, so they know how to arrest criminals. When Amotekun’s agents were about to head out for the operation, we were still in Eruve with some of our men who were vigilantes when we found out they were attacking the village.

It was then that those of us who were leaders went to the village. When we arrived, we saw that three people had already been killed. When I saw the incident, I went up to Commander Amotekun for his opinion on the incident.

“I asked why they were not expecting us, but he did not answer me. We called our people who were waiting for us in Eruve to leave the meeting place and return to their homes because Amotekun did something else. We didn’t plan to kill anyone.

On the evening of the same day (Saturday), one of the vigilantes called and reported that two people had been abducted in the Igangan area of ​​the state; we called the vigilantes and told them that they must find the criminals who kidnapped these children, but they must report this to the police before leaving. On the way, they were detained in Igangan.

“They called and said that they had been arrested by soldiers. We were informed that the commander of the detachment had gone to Seriki Igangan’s palace. Returning from the building, the commander simply arrested them and took them to the police station. Those who will fight criminals are the multitudes of people who parade the criminals. These people are not criminals; these are the people who protect us. They are registered vigilantes and work with the police and other security services.

“46 arrested vigilantes have been benefiting the state for many years. All 46 vigilantes are not criminals; it is people who arrest criminals. These criminals, arrested by our people, are also in the police as we speak.
A thief is a thief, not a Fulani. The tribe is different from the criminals. We stand ready to work with the Oyo state government to stop crime in the state.…

“I am asking the state government to leave these people (alone). They are not thieves. These are the people who protect us because we might need them again. Why we want them to include our members in Amotekun is the language barrier. We are asking the Oyo State government to include people from other Amotekuna tribes so that the work is effective.

“I am not happy with the murder of the old man by the murdered Amotekun. He was in his 70s when they killed him along with two children. I’m not at all happy with what happened. It was Alpha and had been there for over 45 years before she was killed. “

Source: – Sahara Reporter.