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Abdulkadri Saliu, the now-ejected Seriki Fulani of Igangan in the Ibarapa North-West Local Council Development Area of Oyo State, says he does not support the calls for the release of embattled Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho.
Igboho, who has been in a prison in Benin Republic for over six months, had stormed Igangan in January 2021 and warned the herders said to be perpetrating crimes in the town to desist from the alleged acts. He had subsequently issued an ultimatum for Saliu and his men to vacate the town.
The evicted Sarkin Fulani had relocated to Ilorin since the incident said his only consolation was the fact that he was not killed on the day he was displaced from the agrarian community.
Speaking on the January 22, 2021 incident, he said anytime he remembers the day, he always bursts into tears even as he maintained his innocence over the incidents of kidnapping and killings in the community.
“It is on record that only three Yoruba persons were kidnapped in Igangan since the problem started; others were Fulani.
“I lost my younger brother in the process. We lost several of my kinsmen. You cannot even count the number of cows that were rustled. It was a sad moment for me. I lost everything I laboured for all my life and life has been extremely hard since last year when Sunday Igboho stormed my settlement,” Daily Trust quoted him as saying.
Speaking on the earlier quit notice issued by Igboho prior to his eviction, Sarki explained that he did not handle the eviction notice with levity and he got assurance from the state government after the quit notice but he was surprised that Igboho carried out his threat without anybody challenging him.
He said, “For those seven days, the state government sent 14 police officers to us and they were guiding us but the police officers were overpowered by Sunday Igboho’s men. This is why I don’t support the call for the release of Igboho.
“I am sure he must be regretting his actions now. Any Nigerian can live in any part of the country and I have always said that there are criminals everywhere. There are criminals among Yoruba just like we have among the Fulani people. This is where we expected the government to come in and fish out those who are criminally minded.”
Saliu said one year later, he still hoped that justice would be done and he would be compensated for the properties lost during the crisis.
