Fear grips Ogun community as Fulani herdsman issue notice of attack, Monarchs react
Palpable fear has enveloped some communities in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, following the threat of fresh attacks from suspected killer herdsmen. The communities are Oja-Odan, Ibeku, Asa and Agbon
The unknown herdsmen last Saturday passed a notice of an attack on houses and trees in the affected communities, thereby throwing the whole community into confusion.
In the letter, which was written in English and Hausa languages, the herdsmen told leaders of the affected communities to expect their wrath between December and January.
The notice reads, “Attention! Attention!! Attention!! To all following communities: Asa, Agbon, lbeku, Oja-odan and environs. You think you can send away our people from the land they bought in Nigeria, our fathers’ land, you kill our people, you kill their cows, you take over all their properties, you think you can go Scot-free. It’s high time we came for revenge.
“All the above-mentioned communities’ leaders should prepare for the war between December and January. We are coming to take back our father’s property.”
It will be recalled that farmers/herders clashes claimed lives in the affected communities in the first quarter of 2021 while many residents of the communities fled their homes to neighbouring Benin Republic, to avoid being killed by the herdsmen.
The crisis got to its peak after Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho visited Igua in Yewa North to evict some Fulani herders. The Fulani settlement in the Igua area was set on fire by some irate youths after Sunday Igboho’s visit.
In reprisal,many villages were attacked by some suspected herders, who killed residents and set houses on fire. It took the intervention of Governor Dapo Abiodun and some northern governors to bring the situation under control.
Reacting to the letter of the planned attack, an indigene of Oja-Odan, Pa Ganiyu Alebiosu said members of the community had been living in fear since they got the notice of attack.
He said, “we cannot sleep with our two eyes closed now since we saw the letter last Saturday. We cannot go to our farms any longer because we don’t know when exactly they may strike. My plan now is how to relocate my family because of this threat. All of us knew what happened last year, when they struck.
“I want to call on both the federal and state governments to come to our aid. They should deploy security operatives, especially police and soldiers to our communities for adequate protection of lives and property”.
