Oyo State strongman, and freedom fighter, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho has explained why he ordered the Fulani herdsmen who has been responsible for the kidnappings, raping of women, and killing of Yoruba men in Southwest Nigeria, to leave, accusing government of aiding and abetting the herdsmen in their wanton destruction.
“I am a true Yoruba son. I am a bona fide and free citizen of Oyo State. Nobody can come here from another land and be killing our people while the government watch and do nothing”, he said.
Chief Adeyemo, in a radio interview with popular radio presenter, Chief Kola Olootu narrated how the Fulani herdsmen have been killing Yoruba sons and daughters in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State while government watched and police did nothing.
He narrated how the late Alhaji Fatai Yusuf, alias Oko Oloyun was killed about a year ago by the deadly herdsmen while on his way back to Lagos after celebrating new year in his hometown, along Eruwa-Igbo Ora road in Ibarapa Local Government of the state. “Up till now, the police are yet to prosecute the killers”, Igboho said.
He also mentioned one Dr Aborode, who after working abroad for over twenty years and obtaining a Ph.D, returned home and went into large scale farming. “The herdsmen tied him to a stake and beheaded him for complaining about Fulani cows that destroyed his farm. He employed over 300 men in his farm, yet they killed him and collected two million naira from his family before his corpse was released for burial. The government did not do anything about it”, he said.
Igboho also mentioned another Alhaja at Imeko, who resisted a kidnapping attempt by the herdsmen and was shot to death. “The last straw was the kidnap of the son of the king if Igangan. The herdsmen demanded a ransom of N10 million but the king negotiated to four million naira. It was the Seriki Fulani who collected the ransom on behalf of the kidnappers.
He accused the Seriki Fulani of been the protector of the dangerous herdsmen. He described the abode of the Seriki thus:
“The Seriki Fulani Of Igangan has well-armed militias guarding him. There are also three well fortified barricades on the way to his house. The citizens of Ibarapa cannot access his house unless with express permission”.
In his bid to meet with the Seriki, Igboho had to overpower the fulani militia. The Seriki guards fired gunshots at him but he collected the guns without mounting a counterattack.
The Seriki has collections of luxury cars in his compound including brand-new Toyota Venzas, Camry, each costing between 7million to 15 million Naira, totaling about 15, which the Seriki’s herd of cattle cannot account for. The people said it to Seriki’s face that when people are kidnapped, the ransoms are usually brought to his palace to get it across to the kidnappers ( a kind of intermediary role in negotiations for their release). If Seriki is not part of the conspiracy, why has he not exposed the kidnappers on behalf of whom he collects ransom?
Igboho claimed that all the kings in Ibarapa became overwhelmed and invited him as one of their sons to come and help them.
Igboho said that he is not afraid to die in the course of fighting for the freedom of his people. “I am also not afraid of arrest. But before I die, even the grass will know that something happened here! But Yoruba people will never be slaves in their own land, never!”, he said.
He called on government to rein in the Fulani marauders in the interest of peace in Nigeria.
Below is Sunday Igboho’s interview with radio presenter, Kola Olootu:
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