Yoruba Traditional Rulers Under Fire For Giving Land To Foreign Herdsmen

Some traditional rulers in the South-West have been accused of inviting herdsmen from foreign countries to settle in their domains.

They allegedly harboured herdsmen from West African countries in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State and other parts of Yorubaland.

A former Director, Directorate of Military Intelligence, Col. Kunle Toogun (retd.), said a monarch in Oke Ogun brought four trucksloads of herdsmen to his domain about three months ago.

Toogun, who is the chairman of Oke Ogun Security Committee, said the invasion of Yorubaland by foreign herdsmen was a big security threat to the people of the region.

He said, “These people (monarchs) took money from the Bororo (foreign herdsmen) and asked them to come to their domains. These people are not Nigerians. The native Fulani people have their settlements around and they don’t graze their cattle in any farm.

“A particular Oba sold the land of another community to these foreign herdsmen and it became a crisis. I met the Chairman of the Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State and told him that this particular monarch must stop the nonsense.

“It was made clear to all the obas and chiefs in Oke Ogun not to harbour or sell land to these Bororos. But there is a stubborn and recalcitrant baale (chief) in Oke Ogun that is not only harbouring Bororos but also selling land to them.”

The retired military officer stated that the traditional ruler allowed a large number of foreign herdsmen to settle in 10 locations within Atisbo LGA two months ago.

A youth group, the Yoruba Socio-Cultural Association, also accused another Oba in the Oke Ogun of giving land to foreign herdsmen and collecting cows in return.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Olawale Hammed, in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, said despite the outcry against the atrocities of killer herdsmen especially in the South-West, some monarchs still harboured them.

“Some of these traditional rulers have lost their respect and they don’t care what happens to their subjects,” he added.

But one of the traditional rulers in Ogun State, the Ooye of Iwoye-Ketu, Oba Joel Ademola, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the issue of Fulani herders and Yoruba was complex because some of them settled in different parts of Yorubaland a long time ago.

He said, “Our forefathers gave some land to Fulani herdsmen but not in exchange for anything like cows or other items. It was done to boost the economy of our region.

“We also know that some of them rent houses in the town. But, what we observed this time, is that some of them will just come and take over our forests. Nobody gave them the forests.”

The Iwoye-Ketu youth leader, Chief Felix Dopemu, told one of our correspondents that some Fulani herdsmen bought land from fraudulent indigenes.

He said “These fraudsters sell the government forest reserve to the Fulani herdsmen who settled down in the area.”

The Olu of Alabata in the Odeda Local Government area of Ogun State, Oba Abdul Waheed Sanusi, said some parcels of land were leased to Fulani herdsmen and rent collected annually.

“We did not sell the land to them so that it will be easy for us to send them away anytime we want,” he added.