By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Oyo state government has said that it has constituted stakeholder committees at both state and local government levels to look into the crisis of the Fulani bororo herdsmen and farmers in the state, urging those involved not to take laws into their hands.
Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Security, Mr Olusegun Abolarinwa disclosed this on Friday in Ibadan while highlighting the activities of the state government on averting the incessant clashes between the two groups.
In his word, “the state government does not have any policy on grazing zone yet, as the federal government through the federal ministry of Agriculture is yet to make a pronouncement on nomadic rearing to be domesticated in all states and in the interim, the state government has taken proactive steps to constitute committees at both the state and local levels comprising security agencies, chairmen of local councils, farmers associations, committee of Fulani’s, miyetti Allah cattle rearers association of Nigeria, Seriki Hausawa, community leaders and relevant stake holders in the community.”
He disclosed further that the governor has directed the Special Adviser on Community Relations and the Senior Special Assistant on Security, to address the crisis erupting in the religion sector as well as community related crises at the Ibarapa zone of the state with specific instructions to meet with the aggrieved sects of farmers and Fulani Bororo herdsmen.
Mr Abolarinwa explained that the crisis erupted when farmers laced their farms with poison in a bid to retaliate on the Fulani whose cows destroyed their farm lands and trampled on them.
He urged the aggrieved parties not to take laws into their hands, reiterating that the government has put adequate measures in place to strengthen the security of the state with the joint security patrol, procurement of armoured personnel carriers (APC) for the state police command, procurement of Hilux vehicle for the security agencies and rendering various forms of assistance to the security agencies in the state.
He therefore urged residents of the state to be security conscious by constituting themselves as watchmen in their neighbourhood as it is incumbent on everyone to be responsible to alert on various security threats and challenges around.
Adedapo Adesanya