AS a result of their continued hostilities, banditry and kidnapping in the South-West zone of the country, the Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, has again issued a fresh eviction notice to armed Fulani herders in the zone.
This latest notice would be the second that the Yoruba freedom fighter issued to the bandits.
When the banditry, kidnapping, raping and maiming of innocent women and farmers remained unabated under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Igboho embarked on a tour of most Yoruba states warning violent herders to vacate the zone.
The eviction notice angered the Buhari government resulting in the invasion of the Ibadan residence of Sunday Igboho but by providence, he escaped but lost some of his aides in the process.
He was later arrested and detained in the Niger Republic for years before he was let off the hook courtesy of prominent Yoruba elders and statesmen who intervened.
The onslaught of the herders reduced considerably only to resurge some months ago. When his people especially from Oke Ogun again sought his intervention, he issued another fresh notice.
The eviction notice
In an audio message, Olayomi Koiki, on behalf of Igboho said: "Today is the 15th of July, 2024.
This breaking news is issued around 6 pm. All Fulani people living in Oke Ogun, living inside the bushes there, who are kidnappers, that are killing the people, are immediately ordered to leave now. Sunday Igboho said he would continue his work at Oke-Ogun and in Kishi.
He said: "Someone has to tackle these herdsmen in the South-West. The governors are so helpless. I can't thank you enough Sunday Igboho.
"I am thinking of joining the Yoruba Nation movement in North America. We have to oust the Fulani herdsmen out of Nigeria's South-West."
Afenifere backs eviction notice
The Pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere through its National Organising Secretary, Abagun Kole Omololu has patted Sunday Igboho on the back for taking another bold step in checking the armed herders.
Omololu said: "Chief Sunday Adeyemo's call for criminal elements masquerading as herders to vacate the forests is a gallant move by a concerned citizen.
"He has the support of the kings and chiefs of a specific area; so his action is right and legitimate. Forest is meant for the habitation of animals and not humans.
"Any human cohabitating with animals should be treated as an animal. Enough is enough. The destruction of farms, kidnapping and rape should be severely dealt with. Igboho receives our support in making our farmers safe.
"The herders' destruction of people's farms looks like sabotage against the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It may be intended to create scarcity of food so that common man will be suffering. We congratulate Sunday Igboho.
"All the areas of criminal activities of the herders should be jointly tackled by the government of each region. Amotekun in the South- West should do a joint patrol to uphold the law against open grazing."
YCE calls for caution
But sensing the dire consequences that the call could lead to, the Yoruba Council of Elders says the Yoruba agitator should tread softly.
According to the Secretary- General of YCE, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, more time should be given to President Tinubu.
"The YCE is fully aware of the active position of Sunday Igboho on his call for emancipation and liberation of the entire South-West from the claws of Fulani jihadists and from Fulani hegemony.
"But the Constitution of Nigeria protects the interests of all Nigerians in the land. Be that as it is, the YCE would want to give PBAT's administration a chance to normalise this national issue of the recently established Ministry of Livestock Development and powers vested in the Ministry as pronounced by the Presidency.
"We feel that Igboho and indeed all self determination groups and agitators should wait to see its effectiveness before executing forceful ejection of Fulanis from Yoruba soil.
"Therefore we, as children of Oduduwa, must be weary of not losing our integrity of acting with the common sense upon which we base our actions.
Bola Tinubu is the President of the Federal Republic, so, YCE will not want to do anything to breed trouble for his administration without seeing a grave cause.
"That administration has put a machinery in place to attend to this problem. We must await the direction the machinery of Government will take and if indeed it does not protect the interest of Yorubaland, then we all will seek a solution to a common problem and seek ways for a common solution.
"Sunday Igboho means well but he must wait to see the implementation of the new directive.
"As for security of lives and property, let the Governors (who are the No. 1 Security Officers) beef up their security apparatus to ensure safety. It is indeed their responsibility to do so.
Hunters differ on eviction notice
In addition, the National President of Soludero Hunters Association, Oba Nureni Akintola feels President Tinubu should be allowed to tackle the issue instead of resorting to self help.
He said: "No law in Nigeria empowers an individual to unilaterally punish anyone reminding Sunday Igboho of the need to avoid any trouble that could spark anarchy.
"I will only join the YCE to plead with our brother, Igboho to allow President Tinubu spend his four or eight years. I am very confident that Tinubu will not let us down. He should please try more in reducing hunger in the country. We, as hunters, are willing to support him and see him succeed," he said.
"As for our father, Igboho, instead of the eviction notice, he should support us in chasing criminal elements away from our forests. He should allow the local security guards to do the assignment of smoking the bad ones amongst the herders out.
"We have to be careful because there are Fulanis who have been living in Yoruba land for decades. We have married their daughters and we have been living in peace for several years. So, we should think of people like these ones.
"President Tinubu is trying his best at making life better for us. But, we the people are the enemies of ourselves. Market men and women, NLC should support the government. If they ask for too much money as their take-home pay, prices of commodities would soar and we, the downtrodden, are the ones that will feel the pain.
"All we, as hunters, are saying is that the IGP, governors should permit us to guard our forests. If we are allowed, Sunday Igboho will be happy with the results when we start working. Let us not take laws into our hands. Anyone of the armed herders we see in our forests, we will arrest and hand them over to the police who have the power to prosecute them".
Eviction notice not an option -- Jimoh, Founder, ODUPA
In the same vein, the Founder and National President,Oduduwa United Peoples Association, (ODUPA) Worldwide, Chief Jimoh Olawale Taofeek, believes that neither the eviction notice issued by Sunday Igboho or YCE's advice can check menace by the herders.
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Alternatively, he called on President Tinubu to restructure the country.
He said: "Having critically studied the issue on ground, without mincing words, I realised that it is very evident that neither the ultimatum issued to the armed Fulani men to vacate the South Western part of Nigeria by Chief Sunday Adeyemo nor the submission of YCE telling the agitator to await the outcome of the newly created Ministry of Livestock by Federal Government can calm Fulani herders.
"My observation and conclusion on this matter is that unless a very bold step is taken by President Bola Tinubu to restructure the country, even though our obvious road to total redemption is for each interested region that clamours to go peacefully disintegrated to her own country where the intellectuals will preside over her commonwealth, but not the current system that promotes urchins that are governing the philosopher-kings across the board.
"Without pretence, the reality has already dawned on Nigerians and will continue till eternity that any review of the 1999 Constitution, cannot solve the problem of the country called Nigeria, saying that the 1999 Constitution is full of contradictions.
With the unending attack and killing of farmers as well as the destruction of farmlands by the armed herders, Nigeria, as a country is facing a continuously high rate of insurgency, banditry, raping, maiming and kidnapping, Nigeria is overdue for restructuring, a lasting solution to this imbroglio.
Unless the armed bandits stop their unlawful activities, the zone will be too hot for them as local guards are only waiting for signals from conventional security agents to storm the forests where the bandits are currently hibernating.
