A peaceful demonstration took place on Thursday in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as a group of farmers sought intervention from both the state government and the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Olaoye.
The farmers, hailing from Kedo Arigbeyo, Kedo Salami, and Mosunmaje villages within the local government area, gathered at the Soun of Ogbomoso’s palace to draw attention to the ongoing attacks on their farms by purported herders.
Aremu Ogundare, representing the protesters and also serving as the Head of Kedo Arigbeyo, expressed their distress, emphasizing the urgent need for support from the government and the monarch in addressing the persistent destructive activities of the alleged herdsmen.
He said, “Cows have become a menace to us; the problem escalated about four or five years ago. We don’t enjoy farming any longer; all the cassava we cultivated was destroyed by them, and no one has any cassava on the farm again.
“Then, the cashew farms we thought of falling back on, the herders would take their cows there in the night to eat them off. To feed our families now is hard, we can’t train our children in school, and those in higher institutions have returned because we couldn’t raise funds to sponsor them any longer. Feeding is also a problem. That’s the reason we came here with a save-our-soul message.
“We discussed it several times; we were at the police station; we reported to the local government chairman; none yielded any solution. The herders persisted. The harders macheted us, and oftentimes times they would kill anyone who resisted them.
“Women can’t go to the farm any longer; even we men venture out in fear, out of compunction, because we must feed our families. We are fed up we are helpless, that’s the reason we have come to seek the assistance of our royal father.”
In October 2023, many persons were feared dead in a clash between Operation Burst, Oodua Peoples Congress, Amotekun, Soludero and a group of herdsmen.
Investigations by The PUNCH correspondent revealed that a group of herdsmen invaded a farm in the community with their cattle and grazed on it, a situation which led to the demise of the owner of the farm during the argument.
Also, crops worth thousands of naira were destroyed in the process.
