A respected compound head, Mogaji Abiola Iyiola of Anlamole in Isale-Ijebu area of Ibadan has disclosed why his hometown needs to wake up as killer Fulani herdsmen continue to terrorize the Yoruba people, especially neighbouring Ibarapaland.
Iyiola, in a strongly worded piece from his Houston Texas base in the United States of America, said Ibadan is close to Ibarapaland, which is being terrorized by bandits and as such something urgent must be done to forestall invasion of Ibadan.
According to him, it is time Ibadan started leading by example on how to curtail the rampaging killer herdsmen.
Call To Action!
I’m sure majority of us have seen the gory pictures and videos from the nocturnal attacks in Igbagan and some other places outside of Ibadan towns and villages.
I can boldly say that not a single neighborhood that any of us resides in Ibadan has a plan other than counting on the nonexistent Nigerian Police and perhaps the Amotekun if a similar situation occurs. Did I lie?
We all retreat into our cosy bedrooms with our gates held together with the most reliable padlocks every night and insure our survival with wishes alone.
This isn’t enough, ẹ jọ o! It’s a new day in Nigeria, particularly in the Southwest where retirement to sleep in anticipation of a restful night now has less guarantee than we’ve ever known it to be.
To whatever extent can we try to start addressing this situation with some seriousness? We must start to adopt different strategies instead of simply relying on a federal intervention that may never come.
We don’t seem to understand the gravity of what we are dealing with. We need to ask ourselves some questions. Why are the Fulanis concentrating their attacks on south west? Is it not a reawakening of their mission to capture Yorubaland which Ibadan warriors foiled at Ore after the Fulanis captured Ilorin? How are we sure that the Fulanis are not bent on taking their pound of flesh from Ibadan? Why did they begin the attacks from Ibarapa which is a stone throw to Ibadan? If the Fulanis are able to conquer Ibarapa, won’t they move to Ido, to Eleyele, to the heart of Ibadan? We may see my rantings as a conspiracy theory. We may regard my concern as a conjecture. But let’s not be sleepy while our roof is burning.
Only a forest reserve separates Oke Ogun from Imeko. The people of Imeko were able to curtail the excesses of these killer Fulanis at least temporarily given the similarities in geography and occurrences and then sought to replicate same through official/unofficial channels.
Ibadan is in a vantage position now to express leadership by example to other cities in Yorubaland on how to curtail the excesses of the rampaging Fulanis. We must be strategic and proactive without delay before these attacks catch us unaware.
With greatest respect to Mr Governor’s office, this is war at our doorsteps! We must join hands with the government to tackle these banditry challenges headlong. Government can’t do it alone, hence we need to join forces with the government. The Governor must also extend hands of fellowship to us so we can together bring lasting solution to the menace that Fulani banditry appears to have become.
Mogaji Abiola Iyiola
Agbo-Ile Anlamole
Isale-Ijebu, Ibadan
