By Ayo Kehinde
The tense insecurity situation generated in Oyo State by the seven-day quit notice given by business man politician, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called ‘Sunday Igboho’ to Fulanis in Ibarapa Local Government has received the attention of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu.
He ordered the Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Ngozi Onadeko to arrest Igboho and bring him to Abuja for possible prosecution.
Confirming this development on Saturday, Senior Special Assistant to the President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, told the BBC in a Hausa Service interview that IGP Adamu told him on phone of the order to arrest Igboho.
According to a BBC report, Garba said he had just got off the phone with the police boss, who told him that he had ordered Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, to arrest Igboho immediately and transfer him to Abuja.
Part of the report read, “Garba said he just got off the telephone with the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police, who confirmed to him that he had ordered the arrest of Igboho, who is to be brought to Abuja.
“Igboho is among topics that have generated public discuss on social media in Nigeria on Friday since he visited Igangan in Ibarapa Local Government (of Oyo State) where he insisted that all Fulani residents in Oyo State, must leave as long as kidnapping continues.
“Mallam Garba Shehu said government was having a hard time punishing (such) offenders because of the activities of human rights organisations.
“Garba Shehu said the order given by the Inspector General of Police, for now, is that Igboho should be arrested and brought to Abuja to be taken to court to face prosecution.”
Igboho, who is the ‘Akoni Oodua’ of Yoruba land and a grassroots politician, had asked herdsmen in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State to leave within seven days, blaming the leadership of the Fulani of being behind the rising insecurity in the state.
Trouble started last week Monday when Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of neighbouring Ondo State had, after a meeting with the Fulani and Egbira leaders in the state, gave herdsmen a seven-day notice to quit the state’s forest reserves, stop open grazing and the use of minors as herders. Next day, Tuesday, the Presidency criticised Governor Akeredolu for asking Fulani herders to vacate forest reserves on the grounds that the order was unconstitutional. Next day, Wednesday, Commissioner for Information in the state stated that the state had not ordered Fulani’s to vacate the state but herders violating law against grazing in its forest reserves, which was also becoming a den for kidnappers and robbers.
Similarly, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had in a broadcast warned persons fuelling ethic crisis in the state to desist from such act. He even appealed to CP Onadeko to arrest lawbreakers, including Igboho.
Despite this, Igboho and his supporters stormed Igangan on Friday afternoon.
Addressing the youths, Igboho said, “They started deploying soldiers here since yesterday (Thursday). When our people were being kidnapped and killed, there was not soldier to be deployed to secure them.”
Reacting to the deployment of security forces, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, said, “Tactical police teams with Operation Burst are on ground to give maximum security protection while efforts are on to ascertain the situation there.”
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