No respite as Southwest communities groan under herdsmen attacks

In spite of the enactment of anti-open grazing law in the Southwest states, armed herdsmen have not stopped attacking and kidnapping residents of some communities in the region, reports KUNLE AKINRINADE.

ALL that was on Fasasi Olanigan’s mind when he left Abeokuta on Wednesday September 8, 2020 was how to get to his destination in Joga area of Yewa North Local Governemnt Area of Ogun State. But two hours after he left his home in Abeokuta, the state capital, Olanigan, a retired lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Ofa, Kwara State, he had not arrived his destination, having been ambushed and abducted by four Fulani herdsmen on the Imasayi-Isaga Road in Joga, Yewa-North Local government Area, Ogun state.


According to reports, his wife, Ireti Olanigan, said a man who was travelling with her husband had escaped from the kidnappers and rushed to their home to inform her that her husband had been abducted.

“He was kidnapped on Joga Road by four herdsmen who were fully armed.

“I was told that as he was being dragged into the bush, someone came and shouted ‘thief’, so, the other person escaped while they took my husband away into the bush,” she said.

She added: “I have gone to the scene and the hunters have helped me to search the bush but they could not find him.

“I left the spot to report to the police at Lafenwa police station, and when I went back to the spot, I did not see my husband’s car that was abandoned. I was told the police came to take his car.”

Same day, gunmen suspected to be herdsmen were said to have kidnapped three workers of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at a Seseri village in Abeokuta.

The hoodlums allegedly ambushed the Hilux car conveying the three workers at the Obasanjo Holdings in the Kobape area of Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area.

The workers regained their freedom three days after they were abducted, due to what the police described as ‘intense pressure’ from operatives deployed to comb the adjoining forest and rescue the victims.

Police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi said: “Yes, we mounted a lot of pressure on the kidnappers.

“Since yesterday (Thursday) our anti-kidnapping operatives have been in the bush searching for them.

“They were able to trace them to the bush behind the Day Waterman College, along the Kobape Road.

“This evening, they released them (victims) unhurt without any ransom,” he said.

Read Also: Herdsmen kill two, abduct one in Benue community
Also, on August 7, gunmen believed to be herdsmen attacked a convoy along the Ibese- Itori Road around 5 pm and abducted a Swiss national and his driver and injured two other persons.

Houses of Assembly in the Southwest states —Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti— recently passed the anti-open grazing law outlawing herders who have been linked to the gale of kidnappings in the region in recent times.

In April this year, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, like his counterparts in the Southwest zone of the country, inaugurated the Ogun State Security Network codenamed Operation Amotekun, during which the governor also commissioned scores of patrol vans and motorcycles to aid the operations of the Amotekun Corps.

No fewer than 12 travellers returning to Lagos in a commercial bus on September 9 this year were abducted around ldoani/lfira in Akoko South-East Area of Ondo State by suspected herdsmen.

It was said that the bus was conveying passengers from Abuja to Lagos when it was ambushed by the armed herders at a failed portion of the road.

It was also reported that the armed herders shot at the Toyota Hiace bus and forced the driver to stop before abducting the passengers.

The Southwest regional security outfit in the state, Amotekun, however rescued nine of the 18 passengers in the bus.

In Ekiti State gunmen suspected to be herdsmen killed a man and abducted his wife and daughter on August 6, 2021 in broad daylight.

The unidentified victim was said to be travelling with his wife and daughter in his Lexus 330 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), along Ewu-Ayetoro-Ekiti Road in Ido/Osi Local Area of Ekiti State when the kidnappers shot at their car.

Police spokesman, for Ekiti Command, Sunday Abutu, said: “The report we got was that the family was travelling along that route. Suddenly, suspected gunmen fired gunshots at them, killing the husband and taking away the wife and their daughter.

“The police mobilised to the spot and combed the surrounding forests with other agencies such as the Amotekun Corps, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the local hunters and vigilance group.”



How police burst kidnappers, killed suspects in shootout

In the two months, no fewer than three suspected herdsmen involved in abductions died during shootout with the police in Ogun State, while one of the suspects was arrested.

Anti-kidnapping operatives on August 31, 2021 killed three suspected kidnappers within 24 hours in Itoriarea of Ewekoro Local Government and Imala area of Abeokuta North Local Government.

Two of the suspects were killed at Itori during a gun battle which lasted 40 minutes and killed two suspected kidnappers on Sunday August 29 at Itori area of Ewekoro local government.

Police said that four Ak 47 rifles were recovered from the kidnappers.

One other suspect was gunned down at Imala while another member of the syndicate was arrested.

Police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said in a statement that the kidnappers engaged operatives in gun duel.

Oyeyemi said that operatives had “another bloody encounter” with a kidnap syndicate at Ilala forest in Imala area of Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

“The gun battle between the police and the kidnappers was as a result of information received by the police at Imala divisional headquarters that six armed kidnappers were sighted in the forest.

READ MORE AT:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thenationonlineng.net/no-respite-as-southwest-communities-groan-under-herdsmen-attacks/

Which herdsmen dey are on break..

? South where ?

If they want to solve all these in South West, they need to send about 47 armoured tanks to block head bridge in Onitsha, blow otu market and many helicopters to bomb Imo.
Then, aboki won't kill them again

Op take this down do u want to disgrace us ?
All that matters is the problem in south east

Yoruba will avoid this thread and next is to push a Yoruba article telling us how southeast is now new northeast

Yoruba people are being killed on a daily .. but theee press is busy with stale propaganda against the southeast south south.. thinking they’re doing others ..

Yoruba sef

Let’s focus on ESN, Igbo and South East. Nigerians are only interested in Igbo affairs and pay less heed to their own affairs. If you doubt it, go on Igbo related topics and see the pages as they mostly reach 5.
Bandits attack Niger, no one cares, bandits take over parts of Sokoto or Zamfara, no one gives a F, bandits attack parts of SW, that one no be news. The only news is Igbo Igbo Igbo. Make una continue.

By the way, southerners should be ashamed of themselves that people leave their regions with guns and come to persecute them in their backyards. It is shameful, i mean the whole of the South, una suppose dey shame. Where does this kind of thing happen? Only in Nigeria .

Old and most importantly, fake story. No herdsmen and any attack ever in all SW land. Such thing can only happen elsewhere like SE.

Hmmm. Buhari brothers

Chai

As a Yoruba nwafor I pls beg u in the name of amaioha to please mind ur bizness
We are interested in ipob affairs only

Me that have abandoned my 10 acres of ewedu farm for the herds men to puck nose into Igbo matters

Is that why yoruba miscreants killed that popular herdsmen in Kwara.



Umu Afonja.

Oduduwanistan terrorists...

Asgard73:
Yoruba will avoid this thread and next is to push a Yoruba article telling us how southeast is now new northeast

Yoruba people are being killed on a daily .. but theee press is busy with stale propaganda against the southeast south south.. thinking they’re doing others ..

Yoruba sef

It seems ipob are Number 1 now?, they have killed more people & committed for atrocities than so called Herdsmen in the South West of Nigeria in the last 90 days.

Yoruba will avoid this thread with all their mouth...
Those people ba?

Yorubakidd:
Afonjas are killing theirselves and blaming the innocent fulani herdsmen.. They are mining their fellow afonja skulls and kidnapping orders and shifting the blames to innocent fulanis..Another excuse to start killing innocent hausas just like they did in ibadamast year..

Not just those wicked people, even the other parts of the south. These Fulani people leave the north, come down to the South to terrorise people and the southern leaders are interested in which of them becomes president. For a second, imagine a Yoruba or Igbo group going to Sokoto to cause problems. The consequences are better imagined.

Yorubakidd:
Afonjas are killing theirselves and blaming the innocent fulani herdsmen.. They are mining their fellow afonja skulls and kidnapping orders and shifting the blames to innocent fulanis..Another excuse to start killing innocent hausas just like they did in ibadamast year..

Same scenario ipob is playing in South East Nigeria?

Survivingnaija:


Not just those wicked people, even the other parts of the south. These Fulani people leave the north, come down to the South to terrorise people and the southern leaders are interested in which of them becomes president. For a second, imagine a Yoruba or Igbo group going to Sokoto to cause problems. The consequences are better imagined.

Aren’t there Igbo & Yoruba Criminals in Northern Nigeria?

Nigeria needs restructuring now more than she needs 2023 general elections. If this isn't done, the country might become unhabitable even before the next general elections.


God help us.

This is not a problem, our only problem is how to be beging the igbos to remain in the useless one Nigeria ,

Rexwalters1:
Same scenario ipob is playing in South East Nigeria?

Shutup!!! Almajiri.. your days are numbered, you will soon be sent back to FUTA jallon by the indigenous people of the land you are occupying in the North..

Seriously

Yorubakidd:
Afonjas are killing theirselves and blaming the innocent fulani herdsmen.. They are mining their fellow afonja skulls and kidnapping others and shifting the blames to innocent fulanis..Another excuse to start killing innocent hausas just like they did in ibadam last year..

Yoruba miscreants killed a popular herdsman last week in kwara state.



If fulani revenge now,they will start crying

Baby factory ritualism drug trafficking criminals have come here to pour their frustrated and saddened lives when unknown gunmen and indigenous assassins are massacring the elites of the place like rats and lizards ,they are here crying like street urchins begging for biscuits money, the monsters you made have made consuming fire to waste you, but you are here wailing and lamenting, tomorrow again if any of you refused to sit at home as commanded by your proscribed terrorists, you will be slaughtered and your business ventures burn, more lose await senseless myopic unscrupulous odious smelling dots, but it is unfortunate many those crying and lamenting have ran away from their landlocked inviable land to the south west where they are enjoying peace and unlimited prosperity that filled the land to the brim. people of criminal tendencies

You won't see them on this thread Helinues, Olamilekun, Newton and co.

See what Fulani herdsmen is doing in sophosticated land.

Continue grumbling over IPOB and Igbo matter. Umu ezi

[s]

IgweOfNnewi:
Baby factory ritualism drug trafficking criminals have come here to pour their frustrated and saddened lives when unknown gunmen and indigenous assassins are massacring the elites of the place like rats and lizards ,they are here crying like street urchins begging for biscuits money, the monsters you made have made consuming fire to waste you, but you are here wailing and lamenting, tomorrow again if any of you refused to sit at home as commanded by your proscribed terrorists, you will be slaughtered and your business ventures burn, more lose await senseless myopic unscrupulous odious smelling dots, but it is unfortunate many those crying and lamenting have ran away from their landlocked inviable land to the south west where they are enjoying peace and unlimited prosperity that filled the land to the brim. people of criminal tendencies

[/s]
Yen yen yen. U go soon run mad. Afonja ba.stardd!!!

Kill them all, they don't care. Na Igbo and IPOB matter dey carry for head

Tomek09:
[s][/s]
Yen yen yen. U go soon run mad. Afonja ba.stardd!!!

That is for your father