ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: ONDO YOUTHS PROTEST AGAINST FULANI INCESSANT ATTACK OF AYEDE OGBESE PEOPLE
_…allege Alhaji Ibrahim Giye as leader of the culprits_
Today, Friday 24th March 2023 opened with a spontaneous gathering of the youth of Ayede Ogbese Kingdom, in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.
This was a gathering of angry young people fed up with the perceived inaction and insensitivity of Nigeria’s Security Agencies to the incessant and increasing violence by a gang of Fulani terrorists against the populace. The protest though vehement remained peaceful until soldiers from the Akure Regiment led by a Lieutenant Aliyu Jaffar arrived firing live bullets indiscriminately at the gathered youth and seriously wounding at least one person.
THE KINGDOM HAS BEEN UNDER ATTACK FOR OVER 3 YEARS:
A group of Fulani, apparently from neighboring countries of Chad and Niger, have set up structures in the territory to take over vast areas of farmland by force.
The leaders of this Fulani group (who receive instructions from their commanders based somewhere in Bauchi, by their own admission) have taken up residence in neighborhoods within Ayede Ogbese Kingdom whilst keeping their armed foot soldiers in the forests with their cattle.
These armed Fulani terrorists (pretending to be cattle herders) are armed with Ak47 rifles and other dangerous weapons with which they constantly attack anyone that ventures into the territory they have forcefully taken over.
From time to time these armed miscreants would plan hijacks and kidnappings to make money to buy additional arms.
This has been going on for about 3 years to the knowledge of the authorities.
A POLITICAL DIMENSION IN THE INVASION STRATEGY:
Recently, the invasion by the Fulani took on a political dimension when one of their leaders (Ibrahim Giye) decided he wanted to remove the Seriki Hausa-Fulani of Ayede Ogbese Kingdom, appointed by the King.
When this was resisted by the Hausa-Fulani leadership in the Kingdom a feud developed between the integrated and acculturated Hausa-Fulani community in the Kingdom and the invading Fulani group.
This feud has resulted in the arrest and detention of the king’s appointed Seriki Hausa-Fulani (Alh. Aminu Abubakar) by Zone 17 Police Command officers (who claim to be acting on instructions from Abuja) over trumped up accusations made by Ibrahim Giye against him.
Ibrahim Giye has been heard boasting of his contacts at the highest levels of Nigeria’s security agencies including the police.
Giye’s son (Ali Ibrahim) was one of the top hatchet men of the group. He took a sadistic pleasure in matcheting farmers to death.
Until his recent death from wounds he received whilst attacking a Hausa resident of the kingdom, Ali Ibrahim was facing criminal charges at the Ondo State High Court in respect of his attempt to kill a female farmer, ms Amaka Okafor, on her farm.
IMMEDIATE STIMULUS OF TODAY’S PROTEST:
Just on Wednesday 22nd March, a band of armed Fulani, armed with guns and machetes attacked tipper drivers loading sand at a mining site within the Kingdom. Six of the drivers ended up in hospital with serious injuries.
On the same day a farmer was attacked with machetes on his farm. He too is in hospital with serious injuries.
The dissatisfaction of the community with this state of affairs has been communicated to the Federal and State authorities by a petition dated the 20th February 2023, signed on behalf of the Kingdom by the Lisa of Ayede Ogbese. No remarkable action has been taken in response to this petition.
Yesterday, two young people returning home from work were kidnapped by a band of armed Fulani. A demand for N10m ransom has been received by the family of one of the victims today.
It is in response to these blatant acts of terrotism by the invading Fulani that the youth of the kingdom rose today to protest against the impunity of the invading Fulani and perceived inaction of the security agencies.
It is therefore sad and disheartening that the response of the Nigerian armed forces today was to send armed soldiers to the Kingdom firing indiscriminately at the unarmed peacefully protesting youth.
The result is a critically ill young man in hospital shot in the leg by a Nigerian soldier for protesting against the terrorist activities of an invading army of foreign Fulani.
NIGERIA IS UNDER ATTACK AND ITS LEADERS MUST WAKE UP:
Nigeria needs to wake up to the dangers posed to its population by the invading hordes of Fulani from neighboring countries who have decided on forceful invasion and control of Nigerian territory.
Today’s protest, though peaceful till the soldiers came, is a signal that the populace is getting restive and may take its destiny in its own hands against the invading Fulani, if Nigerian authorities and leaders continue to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the legitimate complaints of the indegenous owners and residents of territories under attack.