Residents of Iwoye-Ketu in the Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, under the banner of “The Iwoye-Ketu Development Forum,” have called on the Nigerian government and the international community to urgently intervene in what they describe as ongoing killings of locals by suspected Fulani arsonists.
In response to these accusations, the Ogun State Chairman of the Myetti Allah Cattle Dealers Association, Alhaji Abubakar Dende, denied the involvement of the Fulani community in Iwoye-Ketu, asserting that the recent kidnappings were carried out by foreigners, not by the Fulani living in the area.
The community leaders expressed deep concern over the recent attacks, stating that they have severely disrupted the peace and security of the town, bringing back painful memories of the violent clashes in 2002.
In a statement signed by the Chairman, Chief Semiu Usman-Legitan, and Secretary, Wale Fadipe, the community compared the current violence to the tragic events of 2002, which saw a deadly conflict between the indigenes of Iwoye-Ketu and Fulani settlers.
The leaders highlighted that, in the past two months, Iwoye-Ketu has experienced a surge in kidnappings, killings, and other violent crimes, which they believe are being perpetrated by members of the Fulani ethnic group residing in the community.
They accused the Fulani of showing a blatant disregard for human life, attacking and killing locals with little provocation, which has instilled widespread fear among the residents.
However, Alhaji Abubakar Dende, while addressing the allegations, insisted that the kidnappings were not the work of the Fulani in Iwoye-Ketu but were carried out by foreigners.
He said: “According to what I was told, two indigenes of the community were kidnapped, and Yorubas came to the Fulanis living in the community to seek for their assistance towards rescuing the kidnapped victims, but along the line, there was disagreement.”
He added that, due to the disagreement, two Fulanis were killed, and another one, who was about to be killed was rescued, and this led to fracas, where a Yoruba man was killed.
“When I heard about the crisis, I called the Police and they intervened.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu convened a peace meeting between the Yoruba and Fulani communities in his office at Police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, where the crisis has been resolved.
The CP warned the two parties to maintain peace and since then, normalcy has returned to the community.