By Ismaeel Uthman
There is presence of some strange cattle rustlers in Osun.
Investigations by OSUN DEFENDER have revealed that the cattle rustlers have been moving in droves into Osun through Erin-Ile, Ila-Odo, Asi and Ira communities.
It was gathered that the cattle rustlers do move into the state in the dead of the night.
Residents of Oyan and Ijabe, the two communities at the Osun and Kwara states’ boundaries confirmed the influx of the strange herders to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday.
The medium gathered that residents of the communities have sent petitions to Odo-Otin North Local Council Development Area on the movement of the cattle rustlers and the alleged illegal activities of some Fulanis.
Findings by the medium revealed that the said influx of the strange herders could happen twice a week and it has persisted for over three months.
According to information, some of the rustlers are always armed with guns.
Some residents alleged that a young Fulani man, simply known as Idree Fulani, has been habouring the strange herders in Aara area of Oyan.
Idree Fulani, according to information at the disposal of OSUN DEFENDER, was recently arrested for his alleged involvement in the recent kidnapping on Asi-Ila Orangun road in December 2020.
He is said to have been arrested and later released, a development that has been creating fear for the people of the area.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the movement of the strange herders into Osun boundary communities had been reported twice at the Peace and Security Meeting of the Odo-Otin North LCDA.
The Oloyan of Oyan, Oba Kilani Adekeye confirmed the influx of the herders to the medium in a telephone interview yesterday.
According to Oba Adekeye, there have been reported ‘illegal activities of herders and influx of cattle rustlers into the Odo-Otin North Local Council Development Area through Erin-Ile and Asi boundary axis.’
Oba Adekeye said the influx of the strange herders might be responsible for the recent kidnapping activities in Asi-Ila Orangun road and the killing of a farmer in Ijabe.
He said: “It has been reported to me that some herders have been moving into our communities through Erin-Ile and Asi. The herders do move at night into the state and this has been happening since December, 2020.
“You will recall that a farmer was killed in Ijabe and there was kidnapping in Asi-Ila Orangun road too. I want to believe those strange herders were responsible for the crimes.”
The monarch called on residents and Fulani community in the LCDA to report movement or settlement of strange herders or visitors to security agents and other appropriate quarters.
The Council Manager of the LCDA, Mrs. Elizabeth Oluwatoyin Adebisi, had at one of the security and peace meetings held on March 11, 2021 reported that she had received several petitions from the people on alleged illegal activities of the herders in the area.
According to Adebisi as contained in a report forwarded to the medium by the Information Officer of the Council, Mr. Adeyinka Adetona, the alleged illegal activities of the herders include possession and display of arms and ammunition, attempted murder, kidnapping and others.
She urged the security agencies and community security team to do everything within the ambit of the law to displace anybody posing threat to the peace and security of the LCDA.
The Idree Fulani alleged connivance with the strange herders was also discussed at the meeting, compelling the Divisional Crimes Officer of the LCDA, Mr. Waliyu Olawoye to explain that the matter was in court and due legal proceedings would be followed.
Also at the meeting, the Alasaba of Asabaland, Oba Ezekiel Oyewusi, lamented the destruction of his farm by the herders, saying that his farm was destroyed overnight by cows.
He said: “A herder with a barrel (gun) and a radio set in his hand was dancing on the potato ridges of my farm, right in my presence. I challenged them and they destroyed the farm overnight.”
In his remarks, the Alasi of Asiland, Oba Isaac Oyewale, urged the Fulanis who had been living peacefully with the Yorubas in Osun to report any strange individual and the bad eggs in their midst to security agents for continuous harmonious relationship.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a resident of Ijabe, who craved anonymity, said the report of the strange herders is true, noting that there is a village called Alapata in the area where they might head to after coming into the town.
He stated that the Alapata village is populated by Fulanis.
According to the resident, it was not out of place to conclude that the strange herders were the one that recently killed a farmer on his farm in Ijabe, maintaining that none of the Fulanis that had been residing with them could ever do that.
Reacting to the issue, the Chairman of the Committee on Peaceful Coexistence Between Fulani/Bororo and Crops Farmers in the State of Osun, Hon. Mudasiru Toogun, confirmed the influx of the cattle rustlers into the state, even as he allayed the fear of the people.
According to Toogun, not less than four batches of the rustlers were barred from entering the state and sent back to wherever they were coming from.
Toogun, who spoke with the medium in a telephone interview yesterday said: “We, as a committee are aware of the fact that during the dry season, we always have problems around Ijabe, Konta and other border towns in that axis. Definitely, this time around, the influx of strange cattle rustlers is a normal thing we usually witness.
“What we used to do is to get information through the farmers who will report to us. We have mechanisms to send them back before they get into other parts of the state. When we see them (strange cattle rustlers), we usually ask them questions on their mission, movements and contacts. Answers to those questions will help us to know whether they have destination or they are just going round, and it will guide the steps to take.
“Sometimes, we have issues with our own local farmers. Some of our farmers will invite the herders to come and graze on their harvested farmland. At the end of the day, before leaving the place, they might have paid into the account of the farmers with our experience.
“Another thing is that we have Fulanis/Bororos that are settled here and some of them accommodate the cattle rustlers. I think that one is better because they will not want the strangers to tarnish their image. Those ones are guided.
“The other one is the cattle rustlers that will just leave their place with no destination. They settle anywhere they feel comfortable with temporarily. Those are the dangerous ones and we usually send them back. As far as the Ijabe, Ila-Odo, Asi, Konta, Oyan zone is concerned, we have sent at least four batches of the cattle rustlers back to wherever they were coming from in the last one month. The moment we are aware of their movement, we take action and send them back. What we need is for our farmers to give us information. The State Government has been effectively addressing the issue.”
