The Seriki Fulani of Igangan in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State Salihu AbdulKadir has said he lost seven persons from his camp following the invasion of Fulani settlement by supporters of activist Sunday Adeyemo alias Sunday Igboho.
The activist had arrived Igangan on January 22 to force herders out of the town after a seven-day ultimatum elapsed.
Addressing reporters in Ilorin, Kwara State on Thursday, AbdulKadir alleged that seven Fulani men were killed and property worth over N500 million were lost to the invasion.
“I and my family have been living in Igangan for over 50 years without any challenges from anybody either in Igangan or any other places,” AbdulKadir said.
He called on emirs and other traditional rulers in the northern states to come to the rescue of Fulani residents in the south-west.
AbdulKadir added: “When a Fulani boy named Omomogeto was reported to me that he raped someone, I told the vigilante to arrest the Fulani boy.
“When he was arrested, I investigated the matter and discovered that he committed the offence, I handed him over to the family of the victim.”
“There was no case of farm destruction reported to me that I will not send people to go and look at the farm that was destroyed. If discovered that it’s true, I will order the Fulani to pay money to the farmers; that is the Agoro family in Igangan and many more. I have a record where I store the issues affecting the farmers,” he said.
The Seriki Fulani denied complicity in some of the alleged kidnapping incidents in the area, especially the killing of an Havard-trained indigene Fatai Aborode who was gruesomely murdered by suspected herdsmen.
He equally called on the Federal Government to probe the invasion of the Fulani settlement.
