Herdsmen attacks: Oyo youths seek govt backing to fish out criminals’ hideouts

The youths in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State have called for the support of Governor Seyi Makinde in their efforts to comb the bushes where armed robbers, kidnappers, and other criminals are using as their hideouts in the area.

The President of Igangan Development Advocates, Diran Oyedokun, said this in an interview with our correspondent in Ibadan on Tuesday.

Oyedokun said this request and others were tabled before the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, Sunday Odukoya, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Affairs, Femi Josiah, who invited the youths to a meeting on the insecurity in the area.

The youths had last week staged a protest following the gruesome killing of a prominent farmer in Igangan, Fatai Aborode. Aborode contested the 2015 House of Representatives election on the platform of the Accord Party.

Oyedokun said, “One of our requests is that we want the government’s backing to use our hunters and vigilante groups to comb the bushes where these criminals are using as their hideouts, whether they are Fulani, Yoruba or members of any ethnic groups.

“There should be an immediate clearing of bushes on either side of the roads especially from Eruwa to Igboora. This must be carried out on all roads in Ibarapa from Eruwa to Igangan to prevent criminals from exploiting our poor roads to carry out their nefarious activities.”

He said the efforts by the youths and other farmers to boost the food production capacity of the country would be wasted if herdsmen were allowed to destroy farms, kill farmers at will.

The youth leader said, “We can no longer tolerate the killings, kidnappings, destruction of farms, and other atrocities by herdmen and other criminals in Ibarapa North. The killing of Dr Fatai Aborode is the latest. We have been living under siege for so long and we have to say no.

“The destruction of farms is massive and investors are losing huge amount of money every day. I am also a farmer and I know that there are at least three cases of farm plundering every day.

“They deliberately graze their animals on farms just to destroy the crops. I have lived in the North and these did not happen. This cannot continue. “