Members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), on Sunday, razed a Fulani settlement at Kajola, in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State, in an attempt to arrest a suspected Fulani Kidnap gang leader, called Iskilu Wakili.
In the process, a woman, suspected to be Wakilin Fulani’s wife, was killed in the inferno.
The police later confirmed the attack and the murder of the woman.
The Oyo State Police Command, in a statement by its spokesperson, CSP Fadeyi Olugbenga, said at around 9 am on Sunday, it was alerted that some unidentified persons, who were later found to be members of the OPC, had invaded the Kajola community.
“The invasion was reportedly aimed at arresting one Wakili, a Fulani by tribe, who is alleged to be the sponsor and mastermind of various criminal attacks against the people/farmers of Yoruba origin in the community.
“The State Commissioner of Police has quickly moved into action and preliminary findings revealed that some OPC members went to the Kajola community in Ibarapa North Local government Area of Oyo State.”
The police confirmed that the house of the Wakili was set ablaze, while an unidentified female was burnt in the fire.
The Wakili, who the police said is about 75-years-old and blind, and two other persons were apprehended by the OPC gang.
“The three of them are presently in the custody of the Police. The Commissioner of Police has directed that Wakili (due to his frail appearance and state of health), be moved to the Hospital, while others are being interrogated. Others being interrogated are the OPC members, involved in arson and murder.”
Chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Abubakar Jijji, who confirmed the attack, said the action was a setback to the association’s search for peace and harmony.
