Indigenes of Igangan in Ibarapa North-West LCDA of Oyo State has said they would never allow the now-ejected Seriki Fulani, Abdulkadri Saliu, to return to the community, Njenje Media News reports.
According to them, accepting the Seriki Fulani back in the town is self-suicide, saying they would rather die than to accept Saliu back in the town.
“The entire town would rather go into self-suicide than to accept Seriki back. We would rather lay down our lives than for us and our generations to come to be subjected to the evil reign of Seriki again,” the Convener, Igangan Development Advocates, Oladiran Oladokun, told The PUNCH on Friday.
Oladokun was reacting to a statement made by the Seriki Fulani that he would consider moving back to Igangan.
The Seriki Fulani, who has temporarily relocated to Ilorin, Kwara State had said;
“If given opportunity to return to the community I would consider moving back to Igangan,”
Njenje Media News recalls that Sunday Adeyemo, more known as Sunday Igboho, had given a 7-day eviction notice to all Fulani herders in Ibarapaland and at the expiration of the ultimatum, moved to eject them and the Seriki Fulani. He believed the Fulani Herdsmen are responsible for perpetrating sundry crimes in Ibarapaland from kidnapping, robbery, rape and murder.
Speaking with PUNCH correspondent on Friday, Oladokun said residents of the town have been exhaling breathe of fresh air and relief since the eviction of Saliu and his men. He said farmers now have renewed hope of returning to their farms to continue agricultural activities without fear of being raped, kidnapped and killed.
The IDA leader said the people of the community would not want any order that would truncate the momentary peace and tranquility that they have started enjoying. “Our people will not allow that reign, that enslavement to come back now that they have tasted freedom a little. We are now relieved. People couldn’t go to farm for so many months but are now thinking of going back to their farms and are now having hope of a better life and you want to take that hope from them? Our people won’t allow that,” the youth leader told The PUNCH.
Continuing, Oladokun said, “In the media, people perceive what happened in Igangan as an exaggeration. But for about 20 years, Igangan lived under the oppressive blood carnage championed by the Seriki himself. How do I know? Why is it that on every occasion, no Fulani has been prosecuted?”
“If the Seriki is really who he claims to be and he cares so much about the town, why did he not bring out at least one culprit and say, ‘Igangan people, this one that you claimed killed a farmer last week, this is him, we got him for you. We don’t want criminals amongst us, we don’t people to tarnish our image.’ Why hasn’t the Seriki done that over the years?
“Seriki claimed he had no control over Igangan but it is a lie; he held control over the town and the killings, he held sway over Igangan, even the Asigangan of Igangan land and the chiefs were helpless and they bowed to him. That is why when they (herders) committed a crime, they would go to him (Seriki) and he would ask them to relax even if they killed or raped a woman in the farm. He would tell them it was the Ja’mah (congregation) that did it,” he alleged.
The IDA leader further urged the Presidency and the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to launch a comprehensive investigation into the allegations levelled against the Seriki Fulani to uncover and ascertain the truth of the matter and bring the culprits to book.
