Victims receiving treatment at hospitals- Ex-Council Chair

By Ademola Adegbite, Ibadan

ABOUT 30 farmers from the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State are in critical condition and currently receiving treatments at different hospitals as a result of attacks by Fulani herders on their way to Atisbo Local Government for the awareness campaign.

It was gathered that the farmers under the aegis of Yoruba Ronu were attacked at Alaga in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of the state.

The former Chairman of Iseyin Local Government, Alhaji Saheed Alaran, who confirmed this, on Wednesday, said the attack happened at the weekend.

He, therefore, called on the Federal, State Governments and security operatives to immediately respond to the call for a stoppage of attacks on the people by the herders.

Alaran lamented that farmers could no longer go to their farms as a result of incessant attacks and killing by killer herders.

The former chairman said it was high time for the government at levels to take the security of lives and property in Oke-Ogun very seriously.

“This recent attack where 30 members of this group were critically injured to the point that people are still fearing that they might die calls for serious attention from the Nigerian President, Muhammad Buhari, and Governor Seyi Makinde. People have talked so much about the fact that these herders have invited their people from foreign countries and their number today is very alarming that they have outnumbered our people in many communities in Oke-Ogun.

“These people are still in critical conditions, we are not happy about this and we will not fold our hands while our people are daily killed and maimed by these bandits.” He declared.

Alaran, however, appreciated the Amotekun personnel that immediately went to the point of attack at Alaga to rescue the members of the group for their gallant action.

Recall that there have been calls by concerned individuals like traditional rulers and the Chairman, Western Nigerian Security Network, WNSN, code-named Amotekun in Oyo State, General Kunle Togun, that the forests in the Oke-Ogun region have been surrounded by foreign Fulani bandits and there have been several successful efforts to dislodge the bandits in the last two years.