Oyo : Makinde Urges Police To Arrest Igboho As Yoruba Activist, Supporters Storm Igangan

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Friday asked the newly deployed  Commissioner of Police in Oyo, Ngozi Onadeko, to arrest and treat those people stoking the embers of ethnic tension in the state as criminals.

Makinde made this known when Onadeko paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Secretariat, Ibadan.

But Sunday Adeyemo popularly called Sunday Igboho and thousands of his supporters had stormed Igangan in Ibarapa area of the State as his ultimatum to Fulani herders to vacate the area over alleged kidnapping  and other violent crimes, expired today (Friday). 

Igboho dare Makinde to arrest him if he can.

 Already tension is building up in the area as the youths converged around area. 

Igboho spoke with BBC Yoruba,  said if the government fails to secure the lives and property of its people, then they will rise to defend themselves.

“They are saying I am not in government and that I am meddling with what does not concern me. If there is government and it is not doing what it is supposed to do, the people that voted will rise up,” Igboho said.

“It’s not like I commanded the Fulani to leave our land or that I suddenly said something arbitrarily. For like two weeks now, these Fulani people in Ibarapa have been killing our people. Look at this Doctor Fatai, who went abroad for many years to work; he made his money, came back to his father’s village in Igangan, built farms and employed people to work with him. Fulani people ate the farm for him, he approached the Seriki of the Fulani that this ought not to be, and they killed him there."

Addressing his supporters further in Igangan in Ibarapa, he threatened to lead the struggle against alleged criminal acts being perpetrated by herders anywhere in yorubaland. 

Igboho also called on President Buhari to take the Fulanis out of Yorubaland. 

"The Fulani have gone, we have sent them out of our land and they cannot come back again. Kidnappers cannot rule over us, they can't take over our land from us. It belongs to us; they should stop threatening.

"Those who live with us peacefully; we are not fighting them but how will a visitor claim one's house from him. If you live with us in peace, we have no problem with you but if you decide to kidnap and kill us, we don't want you here. I assure Yoruba people, particularly those in Oyo State, that there is no danger.

"This one we have started here in Oyo State will not end here. We are going to other parts of the South-West. Tell Fulani herdsmen in Ekiti State, Ondo State and Osun States; in fact, in all South-West states that they should get ready for us because we are coming.

"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," Igboho said.  

However,  Seyi Makinde said that his administration  would not condone any attempt by anybody  or group  to forment ethnic tension and threatens the existence of Nigeria under any guise.

He said his government was not against any ethnic group, but was determined to flush out criminal elements anywhere in the state.

The Governor noted that the Hausa/Fulani ethnic group residing in the state was not his government’s target, but hoodlums, bandits, irrespective of their tribe and religion.

“For people stoking ethnic tension, they are criminals and once you get them, they should be arrested and treated like common criminals.”

“For this administration, the major pillar for us is secure because we know that all the good things we want to do economically won’t be possible in an atmosphere of chaos and insecurity. 

“So, when people say things that are not lawful and within the spirit of Nigeria’s constitution, it is not acceptable here.

“And they cannot hide under being people protecting Yoruba interest to perpetuate chaos in the state,” he said.