How Fulani herders burnt my house and killed my brother, Ogun chief painful narrates.
Chief Elegbede Matthew, Otun Baale of Ita Olori Ejo in Ogun State’s Imeko-Afon Local Government Area, tells DAUD OLATUNJI about a recent night attack on the community by suspected armed Fulani herders who set houses on fire and killed people.
What prompted armed Fulani herders to attack your community recently?
It was a Thursday at the time. We were driving to the property when we noticed a Fulani man, known as Alhaji in the area, sprinting. He said there had been a brawl at Iyana Agbede, Ijaale, and Isiabo. He claimed that several of his cows and people had been slain, and that they were attempting to flee with the remaining cows.
He’d hardly finished conversing with us when a group of boys dressed as vigilantes with red head ties emerged and passed us by. We heard gunfire in the distance shortly after that. One Fulani had been slain, we would later learn. As a result, the Baale summoned me to meet with the police to learn who had been murdered.
For a long time, we’ve seen farmer-herder confrontations. It occurs every year; we saw one last year that resulted in the deaths of a large number of people. It’s a common occurrence, and it’s heinous.
Tag: How Fulani herders burnt my house and killed my brother
During the last event, your younger brother was allegedly killed. What caused it?
Farmers in the village had to flee the village as the brawl broke out. My wife and children were sent to my home in Ilara. Similarly, Olabisi Elegbede, my younger brother, hired a biker to transport his wife and children to another town.
He had made a deal with the rider to return and pick him up later. I was also anticipating the arrival of the motorcycle, who would transport me to my family. We had anticipated the Fulani men returning to attack the village.
Unfortunately, the rider did not return to pick us up, so we decided to spend the night in my house, intending to depart the village early the next morning.
Tag: How Fulani herders burnt my house and killed my brother
However, these Fulani guys arrived late at night, armed with AK-47 rifles and other weapons, just as we had feared. We heard gunshots and a strange language that we couldn’t understand around 10.30 p.m. They came straight to my house, but I managed to flee through the back door and hide in a nearby bush before they reached to where I was sleeping. They were setting fire to houses in the village and attacking anyone who crossed their path.
My brother and I shared a room but slept in separate rooms. I had hoped that he would be able to flee as well as I did, but he was unable to do so.
Following the Fulani men’s departure, some vigilantes from the community rushed to my house after hearing gunshots and seeing smoke rising from it. I joined them at that point, and we began searching for my younger brother. We couldn’t see him at first because of the smoke, but when we checked again through the window, we discovered him dead in the room; he had been shot.
I was depressed. My brother was 45 years old at the time. They just murdered him, leaving his children without a father and his wife a widow. He was the father of 16 children. The eldest is a final-year student at Abeokuta’s Federal College of Education, Osiele.
I would encourage the government to take immediate action to construct a police station in this region for the sake of public safety. Another issue is that there is no (telecommunication) network in this location. We are an agrarian society with no other occupation but farming. However, this area has practically become desolate as a result of the frequent attacks that have forced our people to escape.
How Fulani herders burnt my house and killed my brother
Credit: Punch News
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So sorry sir… but this guy does not look like a chief