Youths from Ondo state under the auspices of Ondo State Youth Coalition (OSYC) and farmers across the 18 local government area of the state on Wednesday protested against the raping of 75 year old women, Madam Victoria Akinseye and Ebun Olarenwaju, in Ore, in Odigbo local government area of the state by the Fulani herdsmen.
The two women were raped separately on their farms by Fulani herdsmen at different locations in Ore.
The two groups who condemned the development, threatened to take laws into their hands if the state government failed to address the issue immediately, describing the new development as dangerous signal towards an imminent crisis.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the coordinator of the OSYC, Oluwatuyi Adekanmbi, said herdsmen have not only raped and destroyed farms in the state, they have also resorted into killing, terrorising and kidnapping farmers from their farmlands.
Adekanmbi said, “One of the farmers, Orimisan Omowole was murdered in his farm in Odigbo local government area of the state. After killing him they took out his heart and placed it on his chest.
“We are not against cattle rearing or saying cattle rearing should be banned but we want free grazing on cattle in our farms at our expense with wanton destructions of our crops and means of livelihood to be stopped forthwith.
“Cattle rearing is a legitimate and profitable business which is pursued worldwide, most private cattle herders make great profit including here in Nigeria.
“It is not acceptable for a group of Nigerians private – cattle herders to be doing their business at our expense even at the expense of our lives and security.
“We believe the herdsmen have refused to do what civilised herdsmen do worldwide by confining cattle to ranches and similar enclosure because to do so would mean their having to bear the cost of feeding their cattle.”
Speaking on her experience in the hands of her attackers, the septuagenarian, Madam Akinseye, explained that she was working on her farm on the fateful day when the two Fulani herdsmen took turns to rape her.
She said, “I was working on the farm when the two men invaded my farm and before I could question them on their mission in my farm, they gagged me and tore my clothes before the raped me one after the other. They threatened to kill me thereafter if I made any noise and left me in the farm after injuring me.”
The group however appealed to the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu and the state House of Assembly to enact a law that will effectively stop the incessant attack of the herdsmen in order to protect farmers and their farms and also to ensure security of lives.
They noted that the herdsmen activities in the area had been a threat to food security, saying farmers in the state had lost millions of Naira to the herdsmen while destroying farmlands across the state.
“The herdsmen are trying to make farming impossible for our people who are now afraid to go to their farms.
“The Fulani herdsmen have become terror by killing, attacking, raping our women and even burning their farms. They are taking advantage of our civilised way of life for cowardice but if we are pushed beyond our tolerant threshold, we can be militant as the other groups and they should take notice that terror will breed terror.”
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