The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has described the attack on Igangan in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State over the weekend as a declaration of war on the southwest.
According to Daily Trust, 15 people were killed by the gunmen who attacked Igangan around 11pm on Saturday and operated till 3am on Sunday. The assailants reportedly razed several houses in the community, including the palace of the Asigangan of Igangan land, Oba Adewuyi Olaoye.
Though the police confirmed 11 people died in the incident, Adams claimed no fewer than 50 people were killed by the gunmen.
“In a situation like this, you rise and defend yourself. Where are the police when the bandits started killing our people in Igangan today? Even the palace of Asigangan of Igangan land, Oba Adewuyi Olaoye, was not spared and the monarch, according to reports had been whisked away by the bandits,” Adams stated in a statement.
Responding to insinuations in different quarters that the attack was carried out by herdsmen, the Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar Jiji, dismissed as untrue that the attack was perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen.
Jiji, while urging the state government to investigate the incident and severely punish perpetrators of the crime, noted that the assailants were criminals and not herdsmen.
He added that the Fulani herdsmen in the state are peace-loving people who have been working hand in hand with the state government, traditional leaders, as well as security agencies, to ensure peace and harmony with their host communities in Oyo State.
