Fulani herders in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State have accused officials of the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA) of extortion, bias and the unlawful seizure of their livestock, insisting that several of their cattle were confiscated without justification.
The allegations were made on Saturday when the herders conducted journalists around communities where they claimed the enforcement agency had seized livestock.
Chairman of Miyetti Allah in the area, Alhaji Ahmed Babangida, alleged that officials of OYRLEA, accompanied by operatives of the Amotekun Corps and local vigilantes, carried out the operations.
According to Babangida, 10 cows were seized in Goronjo and later sold by the Authority without the owner’s consent.
He further alleged that 16 cows belonging to one Abubakar Mohammed of Konguo village were released only after the owner paid N8.5 million.
Babangida also claimed that nine cows were confiscated in Sonso, while another 10 cows and five sheep seized in separate operations had yet to be returned.
He lamented the financial losses suffered by the affected herders, saying the seizures had worsened their economic hardship.
Babangida maintained that despite the huge sums allegedly paid, the reasons given by officials for impounding the livestock were unjustifiable.
Another herder, Alhaji Abubakar Saliu, accused the enforcement team of carrying out most of the operations in the middle of the night, alleging that the officers claimed to be acting on behalf of the Oyo State Government.
The Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority had not responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
