Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state has directed security agencies to begin the immediate arrest and prosecution of Fulani herdsmen caught with guns and other dangerous weapons. Ajimobi gave the directive at a stakeholders’ meeting aimed at dousing the tension triggered by the incessant herdsmen-farmers clash.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of farmers, Fulani herdsmen, security agencies and other stakeholders in Ibadan. The Governor also ordered the immediate creation of a surveillance unit under the Oyo State joint Security outfit to curtail the menace of cattle rustlers, murderous herdsmen, and farmers who are fond of poisoning cattle. He also ordered that all herdsmen and possibly their cattle should be registered to separate genuine pastoralists from criminal-minded herders.
Speaking at the meeting, the Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude, said that the police has enough men, equipment, the will and capacity to deal decisively with any criminal element in the name of the herdsman. Odude expressed regrets that no fewer than nine people, including the officer in charge of Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS), had been killed in the last two weeks.