New twist in Oyo crisis as Miyetti Allah seeks Sunday Igboho’s arrest

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association has called for the arrest of a Yoruba nation ‘agitator,’ Sunday Igboho.

Ibrahim Jiji, the chairman of the Oyo State chapter, who addressed journalists in Ibadan on Saturday, maintained that the Fulanis are not criminals.

“We are all Nigerians. We appreciate and love the governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde for saying the truth. We need to join hands together to ensure we have a peaceful society. Our people are not happy and many of them are living in fear. Some had fled their homes.

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“We want justice for Seriki Fulani. All those that perpetrated the evil must face the wrath of the law. They are not powerful than the government. Who is Sunday Igboho and why is he more powerful than the government?

“I have said time without number that we have criminals among all the tribes and not peculiar to Fulani. Those who are suffering the injustice now are not the criminals they are hunting for. These are good people and not criminals. The government should do the needful to ensure peace returns to the Ibarapa axis.”

Mr Igboho had reportedly led some Ibarapa youth to attack a Fulani settlement in the area.

Meanwhile, BBC Hausa quoted the President Muhammadu Buhari’s senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, to have said the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered Mr Igboho’s arrest.

The police force spokesperson, Frank Mba and also the Oyo State Police spokesperson, Olugbenga Fadeyi, did not respond to calls and text messages for confirmation.

‘Arrest will lead to crisis’

The National President of Yoruba Youth Socio-Cultural Association, Olalekan Hammed, however, said that Mr Igboho’s arrest will lead to a crisis in Oyo State.

“Ibarapa youths may react violently if Sunday Igboho is arrested. They will also lose hope in both the federal and the state government.

“Ibarapa and other communities across Yoruba land seriously need to be guaranteed safety. So, any attempt to arrest Igboho will make the people think the government wants the menace of bandits in their communities to continue.”

PREMIUM TIMES has on several occasions reported how killings and kidnappings for ransom have become rampant on most farms in South-west Nigeria.

It has also been worrisome lately in Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State.

The matter, however, triggered confrontation between some Yoruba youth led by Mr Igboho and some Fulani at Igangan community, leading to the destruction of houses and cars.

Mr Igboho had earlier issued an ultimatum on the Fulani herders to vacate the community before Friday’s raid.

Mr Makinde, on his part, condemned the eviction notice, saying all Nigerians have the right to live in any place of their choice in the country.

‘Convene meeting’

Meanwhile, on Saturday, a former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, urged Governor Seyi Makinde to convene a Council of State meeting to discuss the security challenges affecting the state.

Mr Alao-Akala, who is the current chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Advisory Council in Oyo State, said this in an interview with journalists at his Awosika, Ibadan residence.

Mr Alao-Akala said the Council of State meeting, comprising of all former governors of the state, both military and civilian was where matters on policies are made.

“Governor Seyi Makinde needs help in the area of maintaining law and order in the polity. Hence, he should not shy away from that fact.

“He needs to sit down and brainstorm with people who have been there before him to share from their wealth of experience on how certain things are done especially in the area of security.

“Take for instance, at the national level, the president meets periodically with former heads of state and former presidents and all former chief justices, among others, at the Nigerian Council of State meeting to review activities of government and seek for advise and interventions where need be.

“This is exactly what Governor Makinde needs in Oyo State at the moment. The peace and stability of the state is a collective responsibility of all. We are all stakeholders in the Oyo State project.”