*Decry attacks from miscreants, blame police for neglegence
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
“They burnt all our belongings including our foodstuffs and my N350,000 cash, which I got recently from selling my baby cow, and the properties of my daughter who is set to get married after sallah celebrations, all her new properties including clothing and kitchen utensils were set ablaze,” Fatima Abubakar said.
Another Fulani settlement in South West Nigeria, this time in Ogun State to be precise, has been attacked thus making some of the Fulani settlers to cryout as they decry attacks on their settlements by miscreants.
These attackers, they said, also set their shelters on fire while vandalizing their properties and food, as contained innthe words of leader of the Fulanis residing at Ikilala, Shimawa Area of Shagam, Ja’afaru Isa.
Isa alleged that the police authority failed to investigate the issue even after his people reported the matter of incessant attacks on them on three different occasions.
The herders decried what they described as negligence on the part of the police in investigating the attacks and burning of their settlements by some miscreants who were escorted by gunmen.
According to Ja’afaru Isa, the latest incident happened on 1oth of March, 2024, adding that, although they were given two weeks to vacate the area, they could not salvage anything as the attackers who were led by one man, popularly known as Shokoto (trouser in Yoruba Language), returned to demolish the place much earlier than the two-week ultimatum given to the Fulani to quit doing business on the part of Nigerian soil, against constitutional guarantee for every Nigerian.
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“They earlier came here, in the company of one policeman called Danladi, who works at Shimawa Division, they came and drop a letter with a phone number asking us to vacate our settlements in two weeks. But the policeman urged them to give us two months.
“Some days after they left, I was not at home when I got information that Shokoto in company of some gunmen had invaded our settlements and set them ablaze. They burnt all our belongings including our food stuffs, clothes and other valuables, properties. We were left with only the clothes we were wearing the on day of attacks,” he said.
Asked how his Fulani people came about using the land for settlements, Isa disclosed that it was the owner of the land, one Emmanuel who fenced it and asked them to build their huts on it pending when he would be ready to use the land
“I have been here for over 5 years with my cows and family. My my brother, Adamu, came last year and when he came, Emmanuel had already fenced his land to certain level, so he asked my brother to build his huts on the land and stay for grace period of one year, and after one year we called Emanuel and informed him that the one year grace he gave my brother to stay on that land had elapsed. Emmanuel replied that we should keep on staying there till he gets back to us.
“Despite that assurance, Shokoto who is not the owner of the land came with other miscreants in company of gunmen and set our settlements ablaze.
“Wre reported the incident to two nearby police Divisions. They did not even listen to our complaints and we later reported to the police Area Commander in Shagam, it was the Area Commander who sent his men to the scene of the incident to see what happened.”
Real land owner, Emmanuel, could not be reached as at the time of filing this report due to logistics reasons involved in the nature of investigation. The police, with all equipment and facilities and intelligence to achieve successful investigated report, was expected to have acted.
When contacted by the media investigation team, Spokesperson of Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said she was not aware of the incident.
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As a follow up to the investigation, The DEFENDER contacted her Saturday morning for confirmed statement on the matter but she was yet to respond.
Fear of ‘official’ insecurity
In the meantime, The fear of how some Nigerians feel unsafe even with the presence of Nigerian police came up as the Fulani people felt not even the reports made could make police authorities in the or political administration in the state provide them security and protection in doing the business they are known for, which is herding of cattle.
The Fulani leader revealed this fear as he said of the police Area Commander saying, “later invited the prime suspect, that is Shokoto, through that policeman called Danladi, but after that, the police failed to continue with the investigation.”
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“We want them to arrest the suspects and we also need justice, we want back our properties, it is peace we are after,” he said.
Female victims
In the meantime, Fatima Abubakar, a victim of the attack, told the media Investigators that all her belongings were burnt including her N350,000 cash which she got from selling her baby cow.
“They burnt all our belongings including our foodstuffs and my N350,000 cash, which I got recently from selling my baby cow, and the properties of my daughter who is set to get married after sallah celebrations, all her new properties including clothing and kitchen utensils were set ablaze,” she said.
Amina Adamu, another victim, disclosed that they were attacked on 17th of March during Ramadan fasting, adding that all their belongs were set ablaze.
She lamented that they celebrated Eid-ul-Ftri in hunger with nothing to rejoice about.
“The very day they attacked us, two of our women who were heavily pregnant delivered babies.
“As we later found out, since they had no shelter, rain fell on the new born babies and their mothers, and as I speak to you now, they are all sick and we don’t have money to take them to the hospital. we need government and other public spirited individuals to help us, and also investigated this matter,” she said.
Respondent
A respondent, who refused to be named, has described a situation where police and government – voted under the Constitution – to provide security, protection, and safety for citizens as top priority fail as betrayal of public trust.
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“We have heard some yet to be confirmed official statement saying the Fulani live in shanties and so are unknown to the authorities. How do you justify Fulani herding cows as criminals multipliers? Because they live in shanties? Do herders live in luxury mansion? This is unfair. Criminals in South West or any part of the South, I insist, cannot truly be only Fulani.
“Criminality does not have a tribe neitger does it have a religion but it has its tentacle spread across membership of them all. Otherwise, those armed robbers, kidnappers (gbeni-gbeni) of Yoruba land extractions that we used to know, where have they gone to? Have they now quitted criminality and handed over same to Fulani whike Yoruba tribe is nowvthe safest and purestvfrom crimes in Nigeria? That is not correct to say. We should be fair to one another as Nigerians to move Nigeria forward.
“The Ogun State government and police command must speak on this because, those Fulani people are Nigerians and are entitled to be protected by government and police to do their business of cows herding,” he said.
