The Otun Baale of Ita Olori Ejo, Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, Chief Matthew Elegbede has narrated how Fulani herdsmen attacked his community, burnt his home and killed his younger brother during a recent attack.
He said that the attack was precipitated by the killing of a Fulani man and some cows by an unknown vigilante.
Narrating how it happened, the traditional chief told Saturday Punch said, “That day was a Thursday. We were on our way to the farm when we saw a Fulani man, well known in the area as Alhaji, running. He told us there was a fight at Iyana Agbede, Ijaale, Isiabo. He said some of his cows and those of his people had been killed and they were trying to escape with the remaining cows.
“He had barely finished speaking with us, when some boys, whose tribe we could not tell and were dressed like vigilantes with red head ties, appeared and passed by us. Shortly after, we began to hear gunshots in the distance. We would later learn that one Fulani had been killed. So, I was called by the Baale to meet with the police so as to know who was killed.
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“We have been witnessing such clashes between farmers and herders for a long time. It is something that happens every year; we witnessed one last year with many people killed. It happens all the time and it is barbaric.”
Narrating how his younger brother was killed, Elegbede said, “When the clash started, farmers in the village had to run away from the village. I sent my wives and children to my house in Ilara. Likewise, my younger brother, Olabisi Elegbede, also asked a motorcyclist to take his wife and children to another town. He had an agreement with the motorcyclist to come back and pick him afterwards. I was also waiting for the motorcyclist to take me to join my family. We had envisaged that the Fulani men would come back to attack the village. Unfortunately, the motorcyclist didn’t come back to pick us, so we decided to sleep in my house, hoping that we would leave the village early in the morning of the following day.
“But true to our fear, these Fulani men came late in the night, armed with AK-47 rifles and other weapons. Around 10.30pm, we heard sounds of gunshots and people speaking a strange language we could not understand. They came straight to my house but before they got to where I was sleeping, I managed to escape through the back door of the room and ran into a nearby bush to hide. I saw them setting houses in the village on fire and attacking anyone on sight.”
He said his brother slept in a different room inside the house.
“I had thought that he would have also escaped like I did, but, unfortunately, he was not able to,” the chief lamented.
“After the Fulani men left, some vigilantes in the village came to my house because they had heard sounds of gunshots and saw smoke coming from my house. I joined them then and we started looking for my younger brother. At first, we couldn’t find him because of the smoke but on the second check, through the window, we found him dead in the room; he was shot dead.”
He said his late brother left 16 children behind.
“I felt really sad. My brother was only 45 years old. They just killed him and made his children fatherless and turned his wife into a widow. He left 16 children. The eldest is in final year at the Federal College of Education Osiele, Abeokuta,” Chief Elegbede said.