By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
Some leaders of the Fulani community in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, have decried the arrest of their kinsmen alongside their cattle by the state’s Rule of Law Enforcement Agency.
The Fulani leaders expressed their displeasure at a press conference held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday.
The Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Yakubu Bello, and the Liaison Officer of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Oyo State chapter, Mr. Adam Abdukadir, who addressed newsmen at the conference, alleged that some herders were illegally arrested by the state Rule of Law Enforcement Agency alongside their cattle, adding that they were subsequently remanded in prison custody without being given fair hearing or even allowed to make any statement.
They also protested their non-inclusion in the Rule of Law Enforcement Agency Committee “as one of the critical stakeholders in the state.”
Reaffirming their commitment to safety, security and peaceful coexistence in the state, they called on relevant stakeholders to intervene to forestall such occurrence in future.
However, the Fulani leaders expressed confidence that the state government would engage all parties to find a favourable solution to issues between herders and their host communities.
Reacting to the development, the Information Officer to Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Agency, Mrs. Ogunniyi Opeyemi, said though some Fulani men were arrested in the past few weeks, the agency was not against anyone or ethnic group.
Her words: “They were arrested for open rearing, open grazing and destruction of farm produce which is punishable under a section of the State Anti-Open Grazing and Open Rearing Law of 2019.
“The rule of law is to be upheld by all, not against anyone or tribe; whoever goes against the law or violates the regulations as stated should be ready to face the full weight of the law.”
