The federal and Oyo State governments have been called upon to beef up security in the Oke-ogun area of Oyo State by equipping security agencies and enforcing anti-open grazing law that was promulgated in 2020.
The call was contained in a communique issued by Oke ogun Council of Elders (OCE) after its mid-year meeting held in Ibadan over weekend under the chairmanship of the council’s President, Bamidele Dada, OON, former Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources.
The communique was signed by the Council’s spokesman, Jare Ajayi.
The Oke-Ogun Elders stated that in addition to herders/farmers’ clashes that are still occurring, influx of Fulani’s from outside Nigeria has increased insecurity problem in the area as being manifested in kidnapping, raping, armed robbery cases.
They, therefore, called on the government and security agencies to be firmer in dealing with the situation. They particularly decried the situation in which when farmers and herders have clashes, security agencies, especially the Police, tend to side with the herders, even when the farmer is the victim.
The elders said Instances abound in which when, for instance, a cow ate tubers or grains sprayed with chemicals in a farm and something happened to the cattle, the farmer would be forced to pay for the dead cow even when it was the cattle that came to the farm.
They stressed that in respect, security agencies, especially the Police, are called upon to ensure fairness and justice in their handling of farmers/herders’ clashes.
They further called on the Oyo State Government to, without further delay, commence the enforcement of the Anti-Open Grazing Law enacted in November, 2019.
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The Elders council noted with concern the strike action embarked upon by members of the Vigilante Group established by various local government councils in Oke ogun as a result of imprecise remuneration and poor welfare. It therefore urged the governments concerned to, as a matter of urgency, respond positively to the demands of the striking security personnel as their service is very critical.
The Oke ogun Elders appealed to the government to take positive actions on the mining activities going on in the area with a view to ensuring that the local people benefit unlike the present situation in which outsiders, including non-Nigerians, derive greater benefits through the illegal mining activities going on there.
They called on the federal government to complete work on long-abandoned Ikere Gorge Dam, while also urging the Oyo State Government to set up an Oke-ogun development commission to redress the age-long marginalization of the area.
Some of the elders at the meeting included; S. A. Oyedemi, Layi Egunjobi, Doja Oladele, Tunde Adigun, ACP Funke Ladigbolu, Alfa Amusa Adebisi, A. Shittu, Wole Oladokun, Isaac Funmpe Ojeyemi among others.
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