Sunday Adeyemo, the Yoruba activist who ordered Fulani herdsmen out of his part of Oyo State, says that his house that was razed on Tuesday is worth at least N50 million.
Unidentified men in the early hours of Tuesday set Igboho’s old house in the Soka area of Ibadan on fire, some hours after a meeting between Southwest Governors and members of Miyetti Allah was concluded.
The meeting was one of the measures taken to douse tensions that arose after Igboho issued a quit order to Fulani herdsmen in Oyo state, whom he accused of being responsible for the series of kidnappings and other crimes in the area.
Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo state, followed with a similar quit notice to herdsmen in his state, to quit all government’s forest reserves, which he said had been converted to the hiding place of kidnappers operating there.
“Around 3.30am today, my younger ones residing at my old house rushed to my gate to wake me up, saying some bandits came to the house, fired gunshots, broke the gate, and set the house ablaze. The two people at the house managed to escape. By the time I got there, the bandits had escaped. So, we called firefighters to help us put out the fire,” Igboho said, describing how he learnt of the fire.
“These Fulanis are killing our brothers in our fatherland. They’re killing, raping, and kidnapping. All the things they are doing to us are not good. That’s why I’m trying to unite our people so that we can chase them away for peace to reign in Yorubaland,” he said.
Following his quit order to the Fulanis, the Inspector-General of Police had issued an arrest order on him and for him to be flown to Abuja for prosecution. That order eventually shelved.
Igboho said his attackers must have been assisted by Yoruba people.
“What I find surprising is that some Yorubas are in support of the herdsmen to set my house on fire. I’m saddened by it,” he said. He said however that he did not suspect anyone for the action.
“When they knew they could fight, fire gunshots, and set a house ablaze, isn’t it where I stay that they are supposed to come? If they had come to the house where I stay, I would have had evidence for you people (journalists) because they won’t all escape. It’s either you meet their dead bodies or meet them with broken legs. I thank God that they applied wisdom by going to a house where they know that I don’t live and destroyed my properties and burnt it down,” he said.
