The evicted Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir said he is not in any way involved in the mayhem that left scores of people dead late night on Sunday in Igangan Oyo State. He challenged Oyo State government or any other government agency to institute investigation into the attack to unravel the perpetrators.
Abdulkadir was reacting to allegations levied by the people of Igangan and the monarch, Oba Lasisi Adeoye, who accused him of masterminding the attack in the community. There was allegation that the Seriki’s children had posted information on a social medium, seeking vengeance.
Speaking with Midlandpost on Thursday, in Ilorin, Abdulkadir said “Since my eviction from Igangan some four months ago, I have been trying to settle down in Ilorin with my children. How do I get involved in the crisis in a community where I am no longer living? If I had the means to fight, I would have done so immediately after the incident given the havoc wrecked on my personality and property. I have left everything and destruction of my property to God to take control”
He urged the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government to go after those responsible for what he called “an unfortunate incident in Igangan”, insisting that his hands are clean.
The Fulani leader explained that the crisis in Igangan and the whole of the Ibarapa area of Oyo State was caused by the fact that government had not taken the pain to thoroughly investigate the people’s allegation from inception. My travail from the beginning which eventually brought in Sunday Igboho, stemmed from the death of Dr. Fatai Aborode.
“At least, the real killer of Dr Fatai Aborode an indigene of the community has been identified to be a Yoruba and arrested by the police. How am I responsible for that?
He accused the Oyo State Special Adviser on Security, Mr Owoseni of tacitly encouraging Sunday Igboho to cause crisis in the community.
The Sarkin Fulani said of all the kidnapping incidents recorded in the community, only three were of Yoruba descent.
He alleged that many Fulanis killed and kidnapped were not reported, wondering why the people of the community did not look elsewhere for where the attackers could come from instead of pointing fingers at him. “Wakili was arrested and still in detention, Sunmonu Okebi, whose four children were killed, the four Fulanis that were alerted from a vehicle and killed recently. All these were also not reported.”
On his visit to Abuja on Tuesday, the Sarkin Fulani said he had written several letters to the Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami, on his travail in Igangan community to seek justice from the Federal Government over the destruction of his property in the January mayhem in the town.
“I was not able to meet the minister as he was said to have travelled,” he added.
He also clarified the speculation that he was summoned to Abuja on Igangan’s issue on the strength of a petition by a human rights group and explained that it was part of his efforts to get justice through the Federal government.
Sarkin Fulani was evicted from the Igangan community following the expiration of the ultimatum issued him by Yoruba activist Sunday Igboho in January this year.
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