Police arrest Ogun resident for attacking Fulanis

Police arrest Ogun residents for attacks on Fulani and warn of further fighting

The Ogun State Police Command has warned that attacks against pastoralists across the state, especially in the Yewa community, must end, adding that it has arrested some of the villains.

Police added that it is illegal for shepherds to be driven out, just as it is unfair for shepherds to insult people’s farms and property.

Some communities in the state have complained that killer herders are preventing farmers from visiting their farms.

The current situation has led the Yoruba activist leader Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, to visit the state recently, claiming he wants to help remove violent shepherds from such communities.

His visit led to the burning of some of the Fulani settlements, including the house of Seriki Fulani of Aggua.

State Police Public Relations Officer Abimbola Oyemi said on Friday in a statement that police will not tolerate further attacks on herders, adding that some suspects have been arrested and will be punished in a way that serves as a deterrent to the public.

He said: “Over the past three days, there have been several attacks on herding settlements in the state, especially in parts of Juva. The Command notes with regret that the affected settlements have existed in the area for many years, in some cases for more than 20 years, and are inhabited mainly by Nigerian Fulani shepherds, some of whom were born and raised in the area and speak Yoruba. the language with proverbs is fluid and elegant. They usually had the right to be called companions of the Yoruba.

“Thus, it is illegal and even unconstitutional to deny compatriots the right to live in any part of the country and engage in their legal activities, including animal husbandry. However, shepherds are also advised to avoid the destruction of agricultural land, which has been attributed to their endless disharmony and clashes with farmers and host communities.

“The command also invites farmers and herders, virtually all Yoruba and Fulani communities in Yewa and across the state, to hunt criminals, especially visiting shepherds from other neighboring states and countries, who constantly create tensions between them, undermining such a long and beloved history of peaceful coexistence.

“However, it is encouraging to note that at the stakeholder meeting yesterday, Thursday, February 4, 2021, held at the Alaye Palace in Ietoro and in the presence of representatives of the Fulani and Yoruba communities and heads of all security services, including the army and the Department of Public Services, the wanton destruction of farmland by livestock, the abduction and rape of women, and the reprisals in Fulani settlements were unanimously condemned as criminal and unacceptable.

Meanwhile, commanders have arrested some suspects in connection with recent incidents and will use them as a deterrent to others. Even the bosses, brokers and advisors of these thugs will be caught to face the law. ”