Some Yoruba Nation agitators and hunters of Iraye, a border community between Ikorodu, Lagos State and Shagamu town in Ogun State, have burnt a Fulani settlement in the area to ashes.
The residents alleged that Fulani herdsmen evacuated their wives from the community on Sunday and attacked people in the area on Monday.
It was gathered that the assailants were counter-attacked by able hunters and Oduduwa Nation agitators, who arrested two, out of seven attackers and handed them over to the police.
One of the agitators said, “This is Iraye, after Mosimi filling station, this is the Fulani settlement in flames. Actually, for two months now, there have been reports of abductions and similar incidents but no one paid attention.
“On Sunday, the Fulani herdsmen who live in the area relocated their wives and all their children unknown to us that they wanted to carry out an operation and today, Monday, they came with AK-47s but they met their match because the people here are hunters who counter-attacked them accordingly.
“Two of the herdsmen were arrested by the local vigilante group but the police came around and took them to the station. Yoruba traditional rulers and people should not allow Fulanis to live on their land. Enough is enough.”
A woman, who encountered the assailants said, “It was in the morning on June 7. I was already on the site with others when we suddenly heard gunshots but we didn't pay attention, we thought it was from the hunters, since we didn't see anybody.
“Suddenly we noticed that people were marching in, they were about 7 Fulani men with AK-47 guns, they wore face masks that hid their faces. I was with some men at the site, those ones fled but I didn't know what to do, I froze, I noticed that they were dragging a woman along with them. I knew I could be in danger.
“I immediately jumped into a bush nearby and hid there, the Fulani men had almost passed me, the others had gone, it was remaining one person when my phone rang and they called me out. I was already thinking of death, I came out and they asked me to follow them, they kept dragging me alongside them with that other woman but when we got to Pipeline, one of them said I should be left alone, they also released the other woman but they went with my bag, ATM card and phone.”
Another young man in the community corroborated the lady's story stating that the gunmen were of Fulani extraction and were interested in money, phones and other valuables.
He also confirmed that the invaders had come with AK-47 guns.
There was an earlier report that the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Tolu Odebiyi, raised the alarm over herdsmen invasion of some communities in the Yewa North Local government area of Ogun State.
This follows the murder of three residents, who fled the crisis in Igangan, Oyo State to seek refuge in the Sagada, Imeko/Afon area of the Ogun State.
They were reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen who trailed the victims to the area.
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