The Ogun State Police Command has assured the people of Ajebo community in Obafemi-Owode Local Government that there is no threat of an attack, despite a viral video on social media claiming that herdsmen were planning violence.
The police spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola, said this in a statement on Friday.
After seeing the video, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, sent a tactical team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) to check the situation in the community.
Other security groups who joined the visit included Amotekun, So-Safe Corps, local hunters, the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, and the Police Community Relations Committee.
Odutola said the team found that the Fulani people living in the area were not new or dangerous migrants, but long-time residents who have been living peacefully.
She explained that:
- The team saw women and children in their shelters.
- No weapons or suspicious activities were found.
- There were no adult men in the settlement because they had travelled to Oyo State for their usual trading business.
- The area also included a RUGA settlement that has existed for over ten years.
The police have invited the community’s traditional ruler, Oba Rueben Oluwole, who gave land to the settlers, to clarify the situation.
The Baale of Alapako, where another group of Fulani huts was found, has also been invited to meet with the Commissioner of Police.
Odutola added that the combined security team is still watching over the forest area about 10km from the main community. She stressed that their presence is only a precaution because the settlers are peaceful and unarmed.
The police urged the public to stay calm, be alert, and stop spreading unverified information that can create fear.
This reassurance comes at a time when farmer-herder clashes are a major concern in Nigeria, often caused by land disputes, grazing issues, and migration.
Environmental problems like desertification in the north have pushed Fulani herders to move south, sometimes leading to conflict with farming communities.
PUNCH Online earlier reported that in January 2025, Rep. Gboyega Isiaka complained about a “herdsmen invasion” of farmlands in Araromi-Ibese, where crops were destroyed and people’s livelihoods were affected.
