On Sunday, Igboho, a Yoruba activist, said he is not scared of the police arresting him over the eviction notice he gave to the Fulanis in Oyo state.
In an interview with BBC Yoruba, Igboho said he has been hearing that there are plans to get him arrested. He said he is not scared and that all he is doing is for his people’s interest, the Yorubas. According to him, the kings in Yoruba land are scared of speaking up for fear of being deposed by the government.
”They say I am not part of the government. Why am I meddling in affairs that are not my business? I am meddling in it because I am a Yoruba man, and if the government does not do the things that the people who voted for them expect them to do, then the people have the right to talk.
It’s not like I just gave a command or said something that just came out of my mind.
Look at our doctor, Dr. Fatai, a Ph.D. holder who is a Yoruba man. He worked abroad for many years and came back with money. He started a farm in his father’s place and employed so many of our people.
Fulanis went there to scatter the farm. He went to meet the Seriki Fulanis to inform him of what his people had done. They tied him and killed him.
There are so many people that these Fulanis have killed in such a manner. They kidnapped some and collected money. They’ve collected N7 million, N10 million, N11 million…in our own fathers land.
These things hurt me so much. That was why I went there, to tell them that you people have been living with us for years, we did not fight with you guys.
This was what I was telling the Seriki Fulani when his people pulled a gun at me. I collected the gun from one of them. Another one pulled a cutlass while another one pulled a gun and fired. If you watch the video properly, he shot the gun at me before I collected the gun from them.
I told them I did not come to fight and that even if I came to fight, they wouldn’t withstand me.
I told them that if they cannot find a solution to my people’s killings, they should leave.
These things do not have to do with religion; I just want Yorubas to be at peace.
For the past four days now, they have been threatening me with arrest, I am not scared.
All the obas that were there were happy and said that the suffering is enough; they do not want Fulanis anymore. That the killings are enough and that it is their subjects that have been killing. The Obas have been silent because they are scared of being deposed by the government if they speak up.
These Fulanis kidnapped a king’s son and collected N4 million ransom before they released him.
If care is not taken, the Fulanis will kidnap a king and ask his subjects to come and pay the ransom.
We Yorubas are still sleeping and keeping quiet.”he said
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