A Fulani militia head and his armed kinsmen have fled villages and farmlands they earlier occupied in Ayete, Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State, the police have said.
Deputy Chairman of Oyo State Council of Obas, Oba Francis Alao, who is also the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, said the police told him peace had returned to Kajola and other villages taken over by a Fulani man, Iskilu Wakil, and his armed kinsmen.
The Asawo of Ayete, Oba Emmanuel Okeniyi, and farmers in the villages had earlier raised the alarm that Wakil and his armed kinsmen chased farmers out of the villages and destroyed their cocoa and cashew trees.
Olugbo said on Thursday that the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Oyo State in charge of operations informed him that peace had been restored to the area.
According to the monarch, the police officer told him that Wakil, who was accused of evicting farmers from their farms and destroying their economic trees, had fled the area.
Oba Alao said, “I spoke with the Commissioner of Police yesterday (Wednesday) and she asked the AC Operations to call me. He called me and told me that peace had returned to those villages.
“He said the ACP got through to the DPO in charge of Ayete. He said the DPO told him that the situation was now under control and that the same man (Wakil) had run away. That is what he told me.”
Farmers in Kajola have confirmed the claim by the police, saying they had begun to return to their farms
One of the farmers said, “It is true that male farmers have started going back to their farms. They started today but the man (is still there), he has not gone.
“I passed through that side on a motorcycle not long ago. Their wives and cattle that they took away during the crisis had been brought back.
“Farmers have started going back to farm but they can’t sleep there because they don’t know what may happen overnight. The women have not started returning and I believe everybody wants to be sure that peace is back fully before they will start sleeping in the villages.”