Damilola Aro, a student of the Federal University of Fishes and Marine Technology in Lagos, has recounted how Fulani herdsmen burnt his one-acre plantation in Opeji, Abeokuta, Ogun State, to the ground.

He told FIJ that someone notified him via phone call on Sunday that Fulani herdsmen had razed his plantain farm worth N1.5 million.

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“A concerned neighbour saw what happened took videos and sent them to me. The Fulani herdsmen did it. When I saw the videos, I could not believe it. This is my investment. I paid for the land in full. I have spent more than N1.5 million here, all for it to get burnt,” he told FIJ.

“I am confused. They burned my farm and the entire place close to mine for no reason.”

He said before he purchased the land in 2020, the Yoruba people and the Fulani herdsmen assured him that no harm would be done to him.

“When I asked the Fulani people if nothing negative would happen if I bought the land, they said nothing would happen. But they ruined my source of income. This is what I thought I’d use to take care of my mom and brother. I never expected this,” he said.

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“The worst thing is the Yoruba people there are not saying anything. The Fulani people are many in that area, and if a fight should start, the Fulani may wipe them out. So, they are silent.”

Aro said he suspected that the Fulani herders could inflict pain on people when he saw how they refused to vacate a piece of land when the actual owner needed it.

When FIJ contacted Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun State Police spokesperson, he refused to comment. He had also not replied to a text message sent to him at press time.