By Henry Odeh
A prominent son of Igangan in Ibarapaland, Dr Fatai Aborode is dead. He was shot dead by suspected bandits alleged to be Fulanis while returning home from his farmland in Apodan area of Igangan on Friday evening.
Speaking exclusively with sunrisebulletin.com via phone call on Friday evening, the Convener of Igangan Development Advocate, Mr Diran Oladokun explained that the entire residents of Igangan now live in palpable fear of terror.
He said that Dr Aborode was one of the prominent sons of Igangan who was attacked and shot dead while returning from his farm at Apodan on a motorcycle on Friday.
He explained that the death of Dr Aborode came barely 24 hours after a close relative who is a commercial cab driver got kidnapped and later released after a ransom of three hundred thousand naira was paid to the kidnappers.
Oladokun maintained that the frequency of such barbaric occurrences which he described as ‘sordid and unfathomable’ ranging from kidnapping for ransom in broad day light, killings, and wanton destruction of properties in recent times have risen to an alarming level.
He added that security agencies especially police in the area appeared to be overwhelmed by activities of bandits alleged to be Fulani/Bororo herdsmen in Igangan as no positive result has emanated from all the reports himself and other elites have made several times at the station in the area.
According to Oladokun, he explained that the situation has gone from bad to worse because the suspected Fulanis have not only taken over their farmlands unchallenged, but have also built houses surrounding various settlements where they now live.
He maintained that they could no longer engage in their major source of livelihood which is farming as herdsmen now freely lead their cattles to graze on their farmlands and eventually destroying their farms.
He noted that while farmlands of natives were been destroyed by open grazing almost on daily basis, farmlands belonging to the Fulani herdsmen never witnessed any cattle straying into it for grazing making it possible for the Fulanis to record good harvest at the end of each farming season.
“Dr Aborode’s farm is near my own farm, in fact it was a flowing stream that separates our farms, he was a large scale farmer and his mother was my mother’s very close friend so, we were close to each other.
“If you come to Igangan now, we now buy farm produce from the Fulanis because cattles don’t ever stray into their own farmlands. You dare not go to farm alone or else you may never return alive.
“Dr Fatai Aborode who contested the 2015 National Assembly election into house of representatives on the platform of Accord party was actually shot dead after which his assailants went further to shred his body into pieces to further instill fear in us, I’m so devastated right now.” Oladokun lamented.
Oladokun said that Dr Aborode’s death was the stroke that broke the camel’s back following several other similar cases stressing that there have been many other severe cases of kidnapping, rape, destruction of farmland almost on weekly basis.
He however appealed to governor Makinde to come to the rescue by deploying special security force to the area adding that if nothing is done urgently to create assurance in the minds of Igangan people, residents may resort to self defence.
