The Chairman, Committee on Peaceful Coexistence between Fulani/Bororo and the Crop Farmers in Osun State, Mr Mudasiru Toogun, said Fulani herdsmen, especially the Bororo among them, on different occasions shot at and asked their cows to attack him and members of his committee.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Toogun, who is also a Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Peaceful Coexistence between Fulani/Bororo and the Crop Farmers, said Bororo herders always attacked Fulani herdsmen.
According to him, even though criminality has no ethnic colouration, Nigerians are linking Fulani/Bororo to more criminal activities because the group is problematic.
“We got a call from a village along Esa Oke road. When we got there, we met a Fulani herder on the rice farm. We tried to persuade him to come to us, but he refused. I was trying to communicate the farmer that complained to us, but the herdsman blew whistle and the cows all started running.
“Two cows were left behind. I was trying to corner those ones. The herdsman again signalled the cows to attack me. I had to lie down flat and threw some objects at the cows before they ran away. The herdsman also ran away.
“Also, another one occurred at Oke Osun, Osogbo. A former deputy governor had called us that they attacked his farm. We got there at night and met many of them, Bororo on the farm.
“I told them to come and they said they were not coming. The next thing I saw was that he raised his gun; he shot at us. We quickly lay down in the bush and he took away his cattle,” Toogun said
He added that in more than six years the committee was inaugurated, it had resolved over 8,000 cases involving herders and farmers.
(Punch)
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