Fulani Herdsmen Arrested In Oyo State Over Violent Attack On Farmer

Some Fulani cattle rearers were arrested in
Aboriso village, Iseyin, Oyo State, for allegedly
inflicting injury on a farmer named Fatai Alimi
after a disagreement over grazing on a
commercial farmland belonging to Alimi and his
sibling. Brother of the injured farmer, Muibi Azeez,
said the herdsmen led a large herd of cattle to
the farm, which caused the destruction of
crops. He said a heated exchange ensued as Alimi
challenged the herdsmen. He added that the
herdsmen responded violently, and later
attacked them. Azeez said, “They came to our farm with their
cattle and destroyed our crops. There was a
disagreement and, in the process, my brother
was seriously injured. I escaped from the scene
to alert the villagers and the police.” Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State
Police Command, Olabisi Ilobanafo, told our
correspondent that the command was desirous
of putting an end to frequent clashes between
farmers and herdsmen in the state. She said the Commissioner of Police,
Mohammed Indabawa, had made efforts to
restore peace between the herdsmen and the
host community. She said, “The clash is not peculiar to Oyo
State, it is a national issue. The Commissioner
of Police has called for another meeting to
prevent break down of law and order in the
affected area. “We have told the farmers not to take laws into
their own hands. If they use locally made guns
to attack the herdsmen and in the process lives
are lost, they will be arrested and charged to
court for greater offence than the damage to
their farms.”