Ibadan horror: Residents want Fulani herdsmen arrested

Residents of Soka area, where scores of
decomposing human bodies and captives were
discovered in a forest two weeks ago, have called
on the police to beam its searchlight on the Fulani
herdsmen who grazed their cattle on the land
during the same period when the horror camp
existed.
Commissioner of police in Oyo State, Mohammed
Ndabawa, said on Tuesday that a team of forensic
pathologists from Force Criminal Investigation
Department in Abuja visited the site on Monday
and that investigation must be completed before
the camp would be demolished.
Some of the residents told our correspondent that
the police must not ignore a vital link in their
investigation and wondered why it had yet to speak
on the activities of the herdsmen or arrest any of
them, whom they described as possible
accomplices.
“The herdsmen lived there and made a camp just
outside the building where the captives were
chained and maltreated. They grazed their cattle
over the decomposing bodies every day and they
shared the same environment with the alleged
kidnappers.
“Why did they feel comfortable with the sight of
these bodies and why is the police quiet about this
possible link to all the activities and murder at the
site?” asked Mr. Olabimtan Isaiah, one of the
residents.
“We saw more of the herdsmen in the area and
especially along the Ogunpa River bank where they
rear their cattle. Most of the bodies and the
building were found along that river,” added Isaiah.
Also raising the alert over possible involvement of
the herdsmen was a member of the church
opposite the river, Supo Olawumi, who said the
police should involve the residents in their
investigation.
“It is necessary for the police to listen to the
people living here. They have been saying a lot of
things that could help the investigation but I doubt
if they are being taken seriously. Instead, they
have arrested many youths and charged them to
court for public disturbance.”