My Period Saved Me: Oyo Woman Escapes Rape by Armed Bororo Fulani Attackers

My Period Saved Me: Oyo Woman Escapes Rape by Armed Bororo Fulani Attackers

A married woman has recounted how her monthly period saved her from being sexually assaulted during a brutal armed robbery attack along the Aawe–Iwo Road in Oyo State, allegedly carried out by four armed Bororo Fulani herdsmen. The 28-year-old woman, who is the wife of the vehicle driver, told Saturday Tribune that the incident occurred on Sunday, July 5, 2026, at about 8:00 p.m., when the gang barricaded the Oyo–Iwo Expressway around Akoda Village in Afijio Local Government Area. The hoodlums attacked motorists and passengers travelling from a nearby market towards Iwo Town, dispossessing them of their valuables.

Narrating her ordeal, the woman explained that she and her husband, identified as Amuda, were returning from Omo Oba Market at Lanite Village when they encountered logs used to block the road. As her husband attempted to dodge the obstruction, the vehicle got stuck in a pothole, and the armed robbers waylaid them. “When the attackers broke the side glass of our vehicle, my husband’s apprentice and I jumped out and ran into the bush in the dark,” she recounted. “I heard their footsteps behind me as they pursued and eventually caught up with me. They took me back to where our vehicle was and collected the bag containing the proceeds of our market sales.” The attackers then began dragging her deeper into the bush and attempted to have sexual intercourse with her. Trembling with fear, she reportedly pulled out the sanitary pad she was using from her torn leggings, waved it, and cried out in broken Hausa: “Yaro” (indicating she was a mother with a child) and “Mata” (indicating she was a married woman). “They beat me with their herding stick and tore my leggings. When they discovered I was menstruating, one of them was instructed to lead me out of the bush,” she narrated.

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A 20-year-old female victim who was also attacked, however, was not as fortunate. Her resistance to the alleged attempt to sexually assault her reportedly earned her repeated blows with her attackers’ herding clubs and machete cuts on both legs and one arm. As of the time of the report, she was unable to walk and had to be carried. She recounted: “He dragged me to the back of the vehicle and wanted to rape me. However, I resisted him. He tore my skirt and other clothing items I had on. He pulled off his face mask and started using his herding club (sanda) to hit my entire body. When he noticed that I was not crying but was holding his clothes tightly, he brought out his cutlass and slashed my legs and hand.” “I didn’t know how I managed to free myself from him and run into the bush. He pursued me, but I lay flat among the bushes without him noticing me,” she added.

Following a distress call received at the Police Control Room, Eleyele, Ibadan, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, immediately directed operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to move to the scene. The VCRU is a newly established tactical unit introduced by the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu. The operatives secured the area, rescued the victims, and combed the crime scene, recovering the butt of a single-barrel gun and two herding clubs believed to have been used during the operation. Further intelligence-led investigation led the operatives to the hideouts of the suspects, culminating in the arrests of Abubakar Jabi, 20; Momodu Sheu, 21; Buba Abdullahi (the alleged leader); and Bello Umar, 25 — all of Bororo extraction and all hailing from Kebbi State. All four suspects reportedly confessed to participating in the robbery, and during an identification parade, the victims identified them as their attackers. A search of one of the suspects’ hideouts also led to the recovery of a rechargeable torchlight belonging to one of the victims.

In an interview, Buba, the alleged leader, claimed it was his first time engaging in armed robbery. Asked what led him into crime, he said: “We used to hear about our tribesmen doing it, so we came together to do it too. It was an evil spirit that took over us.” He admitted that the gang found their weapons—a Dane gun and a single-barrel gun—in abandoned buildings while herding. Regarding the sexual assault allegations, Buba denied attempting to rape the women. He claimed: “We asked the woman to lie down after she was dragged into the bush because we didn’t want her shouting for help. She pleaded that she was a mother with a child and also brought out her stained sanitary pad to show she was menstruating.” Each suspect reportedly received between ₦14,000 and ₦14,500 as their share of the stolen money. Sheu admitted pursuing the married woman and dragging her back, while Umar said his role was to pick up the victims’ bag containing the money.

The employer of three of the suspects, Alhaji Lawan, initially petitioned the police through a lawyer insisting his workers had been wrongly accused. However, he reportedly changed his position after hearing the suspects confess in his presence. He told Saturday Tribune: “I don’t subscribe to criminality. In fact, I once suffered greatly at the hands of herders I employed. They killed one of my children and kidnapped another. They collected ₦5 million as ransom for my second child, but three years later I have still not seen him.” Commissioner of Police Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga commended the professionalism, courage, and prompt response of the VCRU operatives, describing the operation as further evidence of the Oyo State Police Command’s determination to combat violent crime across the state. The suspects are expected to be charged to court upon completion of investigations.

My Period Saved Me: Oyo Woman Escapes Rape by Armed Bororo Fulani Attackers