Oyo State Commissioner of Police (CP), Leye Oyebade, today warned Fulani herdsmen in the state that any of them caught with gun or any other deadly weapon would be arrested and charged with armed robbery.
During a meeting with the leaders of farmers and Fulani herdsmen in the Oke-Ogun area of the state at the state police command, Ibadan, Oyebade said the frequent clashes between the farmers and herdsmen meant that there was a challenge that must be addressed urgently.
He implored the farmers not to poison pools of water that the herdsmen depended on for their cattle, while warning that he would arrest any leader found incapable of controlling his people.
The CP said: “These people have been living together for many years and they depended on themselves for survival. But there is a challenge that must be addressed because of the reported attacks and destruction of farmlands. They both have their interests but one interest must not trample on the other so that there will be no conflict.
“The resident herdsmen are not always responsible for these attacks but those who visit once in a while. Henceforth, any herdsman caught with AK 47 or any weapon will be treated as an armed robber just like I warned students, who engage in cultism.
“You cannot claim to be a herdsman when you are armed with weapon. We implore farmers not to poison water for cattle to drink. This is the time to address the issue.”
While stating their grouse against the herdsmen, leaders of the farmers in Oke-Ogun said apart from the destruction of their farms, women were being raped while many farmers had been killed or injured by the herdsmen on their farms.
However, leaders of the Fulani herdsmen, resident in the state, implored their hosts to report any incident involving the herdsmen to the appropriate authorities for action instead of poisoning water trenches.