THE Amotekun Corps has announced that Fulani herders believed to be foreigners of Tuareg extraction are planning an invasion of communities within the South-West.
Chairman of the Oyo State Amotekun Corps Kunle Togun made this announcement on Wednesday while speaking at an annual lecture organised by students of the Institution of Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The retired military general advised the students to remain vigilant as foreign herders who had been residing in the surrounding forests for years might unleash mayhem on the region.
While delivering a speech on security challenges in Nigeria, Togun noted that the herders residing in the forest were Fulanis from Niger Republic, Chad and Burkina Faso.
“The Fulani that I grew up to know were the native Fulani. But these ones are non-Nigerians. They are from FutaJallon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger Republic. Some of these people were Tuaregs who used to ambush traders in the olden days and robbed them of their money and property,” he said.
Criminality attributed to herders has become a major cause for concern within the south-western part of Nigeria.
Destruction of farms, kidnapping and attacks on residents have been major reasons for the rising tension within the region and other parts of the country.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.