Armed Herdsmaen continue to lay siege to two Yoruba communities
By Olubade Sanusi
Armed Fulani herdsmen continue to lay siege to two communities seized at the weekend. The communities are in Ibarapa area of Oyo State
On Sunday armed Fulani men seized hectares of farmlands at Ayete in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State. Today, Irohinoodua correspondent in Oyo State said the armed men have extended their frontiers.
“They destroy a large swarthe of cashew farms. They occupy the land. They are armed,” a community youth leader in the town, Ganiyu Alao Naibi told our correspondent.
He said there had been influx of armed Fulani men in the area in the past few days and that many of them.came from outside the country.
On Sunday, Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde had visited the communities, but sources said he did not pay a visit to the disputed area.
The Asawo of Ayete, Oba Emmanuel Okeniyi, told journalists on Monday that the leader of the Fulani gand one Iskilu Wakili brought into the community several armed Fulani men who now occupy the forests.
He said the herdsmen had started cutting down cocoa trees and burning cashew plantations
Farmers in the communities told Irohinoodua that efforts to appease Wakili and his group failed. The communities affected extend to Kajola and Gbagban Idere who have a ancestral link with Ayete.
The traditional ruler had told The Punch Newspapers that on Monday that Makinde could not visit the affected communities
The traditional ruler had said “He did not go there. We said it to his hearing today. He deployed Amotekun to Ayete on Saturday but they (Amotekun) have not gone to the area to confront him (Wakili).
“I was told that the man had brought so many of his armed kinsmen to the area. We are only depending on God to conquer him for us. He is heavily armed, as I was told.
Herdsmen cutting down cocoa trees, burning down cashew plantations – Traditional ruler
“I was told he was cutting down their cocoa trees and that he had burnt many cashew plantations there. This is the time to harvest cashew and that is a big loss to us”
Makinde had held a meeting with the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Debo Ogundoyin and other critical political officer holders.
A source close to the Governor said the security situation in the state is compounded by the limited power vested in State Governors on security matters and the fact that Amotekun has not been allowed to use modern weapons.
