Ekiti Monarch Leads Local Hunters, Repels Fulani Invasion Of Community |The Source

By Ayodele Oni

True to words from Traditional Rulers in Ekiti state to revert to their ancestors to check the activities of kidnappers and rampaging Fulani Herdsmen, a Monarch called out local hunters to repel the invasion of his community by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Oba Joseph Ogundeji, Owajumu of Omu, explained in a radio programme monitored in Ado Ekiti how the invaders were stopped from entering the community.

According to him, it was around 9.00pm last Thursday when he heard sounds of gunshots in the community.

“When I could not get explanation, I dressed up and went to the direction to find out what was happening.

“I saw them numbering about 20 and had already engaged a hunter who was going for night hunting but they could not overpower him.

“At this point, I called out other hunters while ordering children and women to go indoors.

“I was in front, with just my small staff of office and the face to face shooting started.

“My hunters were using local dane guns while the invaders came with sophisticated A47 rifles.

“We were shooting and they were responding for close to one hour, but I discovered the bullets did not penetrate any of us.

“At a point, the Fulani invaders retreated and took to their heels. We pursued them right inside the bush till around 4.00am before my hunters returned.”

The monarch pointed out that the night invasion might have been prompted by an earlier arrest of one of the Fulani Herdsmen whose cows destroyed a farm.

Oba Ogundeji, stated that the incident has been reported to the police which prompted deployment of Amotekun personnel and soldiers to the town.

The Monarch advised Nigerians to protect themselves against the terrorists, saying they should not wait for help from anybody.

Omu and Ijelu communities in Oye local government have become targets for Fulani herdsmen of recent.

Apart from destroying farms, they loot and feed their cows with crops, as well as attempting to rape women.