Presidency says IGP has ordered arrest of Sunday Igboho

By our reporter| The Presidency on Saturday said the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the arrest of Sunday Igboho, the man behind the quit notice to Fulani in Oyo State to leave the state.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, was quoted to have made the disclosure in an interview with BBC Hausa.

According to the report, Shehu said he had just got off the phone with the IGP who told him that an order had been given to the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, to arrest Igboho immediately and transfer him to Abuja.

“Garba said he just got off the telephone with the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police, who confirmed to him that he had ordered the arrest of Igboho, who is to be brought to Abuja, the BBC report said.

“Igboho is among topics that have generated public discuss on social media in Nigeria on Friday since he visited Igangan in Ibarapa Local Government (of Oyo State) where he insisted that all Fulani residents in Oyo State, must leave as long as kidnapping continues.

“Mallam Garba Shehu said government was having a hard time punishing (such) offenders because of the activities of human rights organisations.

“Garba Shehu said the order given by the Inspector General of Police, for now, is that Igboho should be arrested and brought to Abuja to be taken to court to face prosecution.”

Igboho, who is the Akoni Oodua of Yoruba land and a grassroots politician, had asked herdsmen in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State to leave within seven days, blaming the leadership of the Fulani of being behind the rising insecurity in the state.

On Friday Sunday Igboho and his supporters reportedly stormed the Fulani settlement in the Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state to eject the Seriki Fulani, Salihu Abdukadir, and some other herdsmen accused of fuelling security problems in the area.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that some persons were killed while properties worth several millions of naira were destroyed as a result of the fracas that followed the visit.

Also on Friday, Oyo state government while welcoming the new commissioner of police posted to the state, Mrs. Ngozi Onadeko, warned that his government will not hesitate to deal with those bent on stoking ethnic crisis in the state.