Herdsmen: Sunday Igboho vows to expell all ‘Fulani kidnappers’ from Yorubaland

Sunday Adeyemo, an agitator for Oodua Republic, better known as Sunday Igboho, has said herdsmen in all parts of Yorubaland should get ready to leave completely.

Igboho said he was preparing to go to Ibarapa town and hoped not to see any Fulani kidnapper there.

Igboho had given Fulani herdsmen, largely blamed for the growing cases of killing and kidnapping in southwestern Nigerian, a seven-day ultimatum to leave all the forests in Ibarapa area and move to the town.

He later said he wanted the herdsmen out of the forests in the areas and not in towns where their activities would not be hidden from residents.

Lately, criminal activities in the area have attracted media attention.

But Oyo governor Seyi Makinde warned that Fulani herdsmen are not enemies of the people.

“We have a common enemy,” Makinde said in a statewide broadcast on Wednesday.

“That enemy is not the Hausa Fulani who is looking for pasture for his flock. It is not the farmer who just wants to grow food to sell in the market or to feed his family. Our enemies are the hoodlums, cultists, armed robbers, kidnappers and bandits.”

Igboho, however said he would expell them.

He also described as a rumour, information that he had been arrested and detained by the police.

He said he was in his house, getting ready for his visit to Oyo State communities that had been taken over by herdsmen.

He told Sahara Reporters:

“Police will arrest who? I am at home; I am preparing to go to Ibarapa. I am going there now and we don’t want to see any Fulani man there. All Fulani kidnappers must not remain in Ibarapa today.

“By the time we are done with what we are doing here, every other place in Yorubaland where the Fulani kidnappers reside will know. Let them know I said, they will leave Yorubaland completely. It is not only here; they will leave all Yorubaland.

“This is a soccer game and we will all play together. After all, there were some Fulani guys that lived with us and there were no issues, what suddenly happened? They just started killing and kidnapping us, we don’t have any rest again. Our people abroad are scared to come home; they are scared of being kidnapped; it is enough.”

He alleged that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had not brought anything good to the people of the South-West except social vices.

Igboho, therefore, called on the president to take the Fulani out of Yorubaland.

“Buhari should come and evacuate his people from our land, we don’t want them again. They are just punishing the youths; they have turned us to nothing, why? The educated youth don’t have jobs, nothing, the gain now is to kill and kidnap us. We are still on the unemployment issue, we have accepted our fate, should we not be in peace and enjoy security again? It’s enough.”

Toying Oladapo, media aide to Igboho, however, told SaharaReporters that there was no cause for alarm regarding the ultimatum his principal had given to Fulani herdsmen to leave Ibarapa and Igangan areas in Oyo State.

Confirming what Igboho had said, Oladapo said any information regarding Igboho’s arrest should be treated as false as nothing of such had happened.

He said, “Our people are here, nothing is happening. Igboho has played table tennis with people today, he is still going to Ibarapa. The security is okay, there is no tension, everywhere is calm, everyone is doing okay. No police, no soldier; there is no cause for alarm.

“Every information out there that Igboho has been arrested is false information.

Igboho recently denied that he was vying for a political position, saying he was only trying to protect his fatherland from invaders.

Like Igboho, the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, also recently gave herders seven days to leave forest reserves in the state and stop night grazing, among others.