Published 15 February 2021
Olutunde Aninkan is the leader of the Coalition of Youth Groups in the Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, where herdsmen have allegedly been on the rampage, including the recent killing of a farmer while asleep. He tells DAUD OLATUNJI the terrible challenges currently facing the people of the area
How will you describe the challenges facing the people of Imeko-Afon in terms of herdsmen and farmers’ crisis?
The challenges can be said to be economically and emotionally devastating although the Yoruba- Fulani clashes have been on for ages and the same can be said of Imeko; I can remember when I was a child when we went to the farm, we got to the farm to see cattle eating our cassava and other crops, but it wasn’t like this, it was not as rampant as we have it now.
By Gabriel Olawale
Alliance of Yoruba Youth Council, AYYC, on Wednesday, warned leaders of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF; the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, and Northern political leaders to be mindful of their utterances in view of the on-going rift between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the Southwest.
In a statement made available to journalists, the President-General of the organization, Dr. Akande Babatunde warned Northern leaders of the consequences of inflammatory and hate speeches being uttered by them in reacting to the eviction order given to Fulani herdsmen living in the Ondo State government forest reserves and the order to all Fulani herdsmen to register with the state government within seven days.