The Sarkin Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir,who was evicted in Igangan by Sunday Igboho has denied the reports making the rounds that was behind the fresh attack on Igangan community.
The Sarkin Fulani, who condemned the attacks, tasked security agencies to do their job in arresting the perpetrators.
His call for a thorough investigation came few days after the Asigangan of Igangan, Oba Lasisi Adeoye, accused him of sending assailants to his domain.
Daily Trust reports that the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, had accused Fulani herders with active support of their leaders of carrying out the attack on Igangan, a development many observers said could have emboldened the OPC members to stage a reprisal on the nearby community.
He said many herders also suffered casualties during the attacks and even said one Fulani man who was neither a cattle rearer nor trader and who had been living in Igangan since the 60s was killed on Monday in reprisal attack on several Fulani settlements.
The Sarki stressed that he had no hand in the attacks and had no mercenary anywhere who would attack people on his behalf.
He said since his eviction from the community by armed youths led by Sunday Igboho, he has lost fortunes garnered over several decades.
He said, “They killed my people, destroyed my properties. I know nothing about the attacks. If I had the mercenaries, I would have defended myself when my palace was invaded by Sunday Igboho and his men.
“I have lost everything. I have been living from hand to mouth. I don’t have any mercenaries fighting for me. I leave everything in the hand of God.”
The evicted Sarkin Fulani who is currently in Ilorin, Kwara State, blamed the attack on failure of security agencies, saying if the security agencies had been proactive, it would not have occurred.
Abdulkadir insisted that the unrest in Ibarapa was worsened by ethnic profiling where only Fulani herders were tagged as criminals.
He said on many occasions, the Yoruba were arrested for kidnapping and other criminalities in Ibarapa zone but their arrests never got prominence because they were not Fulani herders.
He said since his eviction in January, Fulani herders have been living in fear in the communities in Ibarapa including Aiyete, Tapa and Igangan, adding that he has advised those who are afraid to flee and refrain from taking the law into their hands.
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