The arrival of 300 suspected herdsmen to Maje, Soka area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital has created panic among residents of the area.
According to the Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress(OPC) in Oyo State, Mr Rotimi Olumo, alerts by the residents led him to the area where he saw the three luxury buses that brought the suspected herdsmen to the area.
Olumo said the people, who suspected that the herdsmen had a suspicious mission in the area, prevented them from disembarking from the vehicles.
He said he alerted the police that deployed officers from Sanyo Police Station to address the situation.
The OPC coordinator said he was surprised to see a large number of Fulani people in the area, saying the area is not Sabo – a popular settlement for northerners.
Asked if the passengers came with their cattle, he said no but stated that they were suspected to be herdsmen.
Olumo said, “I received a series of calls this morning that some luxury buses brought some Fulani and Bororo herdsmen numbering about 300 to the area. They came around 07 am today. I went to the place and discovered that all the passengers in the vehicles are Fulani and Bororo.
“There is no Igbo, no Yoruba among them. This made the people suspicious and we have to be vigilant because of the security situation all over the country. We asked them questions but they refused to disclose their destination. So, we invited the police to come and see them.
“Policemen came from Sanyo Police Station and their response was very prompt. They took the buses to their station and parked them there before I left. One of the Fulani people came down to talk with the police but I didn’t know what they discussed. But everybody must be vigilant.”
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