Ibarapa youths at the Oyo State governor’s office on Monday

Youths from various parts of Oyo State have stormed the State Secretariat at Agodi to register their displeasure against the incessant killings by criminal herdsmen in Ibarapaland, Oke-Ogun and other parts of the state.

The youths are also protesting the arrest and the remand of three members of the Oodua Peoples Congress in prison on the order of the court.

The three members were part of the vigilante groups that captured the dreaded Fulani herder in Ibarapaland, Iskilu Wakili. They were layer charged with murder and arson and were remanded in prison.

The protesters, who are mainly from Ibarapaland stormed the Secretariat where the Governor’s Office is located at around 10:40am to register their displeasure about security issue in the area.

Armed with placards with various inscriptions denouncing killings, kidnapping, rape and massive destruction of farms and other atrocities.

One of the organisers of the protest, Oladiran Oladokun, who is also the Converner of Igangan Development Advocates, told The PUNCH on the sidelines of the protest that the arraignment and remand of the three OPC members was a signal to many Nigerians that security agents should be left alone to do their job.

He said Wakili terrorised the people for so long and despite their refusal to arrest him, the OPC members and others risked their lives to arrest the septuagenarian herder but the they detained by the police on the same day.

Oladokun said, “We are here to protest the arrest and remand of the three OPC members in prison. These men are heroes, they risked their lives to arrest Wakili who has terrorised the people of Kajola, Ayete and other villages.

“They went to Wakili’s place and arrested him but the police turned against them and detained them. This is a bad signal to Nigerians on security issues.”

Recall that there has been growing insecurity in Ibarapaland where suspected Fulani herdsmen have killed, raped and kidnapped farmers and other residents.