Amotekun chase out herdsmen from Oyo forest reserves

The Oyo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, has flushed out two sets of herdsmen from the Opara Forest Reserve and the Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme Forest.

Chairman of Amotekun Corps, Gen. Kunle Togun (retd), on Saturday, in a statement by the Information Officer of Amotekun in Oyo State, Mrs Ayolola Adedoja, said they dislodged the herdsmen with the help of some hunters.

He also said the herdsmen, who stormed the state, claimed they were invited by some traditional rulers.

Togun commended the hunter group led by one Prophet Ojuawo for assisting his group, while soliciting more support from the people of the state to make the corps more effective.

The Amotekun boss added that the security outfit was open to criticism, noting that such criticism should not be to discourage the corps from its duty of protecting lives and property in the state.

He said, “On December 24, some herdsmen were seen at the Opara Forest Reserve in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State. The attention of the chairman of the Amotekun corps was called to it and the Amotekun corps swung into action.

“They were able to flush the herdsmen out of the forest reserve around 2am. The Amotekun corps, with the assistance of one Prophet Ojoawo, who is the head of the hunters in the state, with 40 hunters drove out the herdsmen out of the forest reserve and they were escorted out of Saki West to the Orelope Local Government Area of Oyo State.

“The herdsmen were handed over to the Amotekun corps members at Orelope who also led them out of their territory and handed them to their members at Olorunsogo in Igbeti area. The Amotekun corps at Igbeti made sure they were escorted out of the Oyo State boundary.”

Togun said when the herdsmen were interrogated they said one Baale from the axis invited them to the state and produced a letter of invitation by the village head.

He said, “Also, another set of the herdsmen were sighted at OYSADEP Forest Reserves. They too produced evidence of invitation by one of the Oyo Obas and they too were also driven out of the forest and of the state boundary.”