Bororo Herders Waging Economic Warfare Against Us, Eripa Indigenes Cry Out

INDIGENES of Eripa, Boluwaduro local government of Osun State, have alerted the general public on the atrocities allegedly being committed by some ‘Bororo’ who are herders in the area. 

According to the indigenes, the Bororo who were engaged by the common Fulani to take care of their cattle, were constituting threats to their life, wellbeing and economy of the community. 

They alleged that the Bororos have engaged in stealing, assault and destruction of farmland without remorse. 

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER in an interview yesterday, the Chairman, Eripa Progressives Union, Mr Wole Oyedele, said the community is accommodative to every tribe, but will not fold its arm when some strangers have become threat to the peace and security of the town. 

Oyedele stated that Eripa was not hostile to or planning to send any tribe away, even as it is instructive for the leadership of the town to caution, through necessary apparatus, the Bororos who have become threat to the community.

He said: “Eripa as a community is accommodative to every tribe. We have Fulanis who have been living with us for over 30 years and we never had problem with anyone of them. But we have discovered that this Fulanis have also engaged some Bororos to be caring for their cattle. It is the Bororos that are wagging economic warfare against us. 

“The Bororos are a threat to our security, wellbeing and economy. They have engaged in criminal conducts such as stealing, assault and destruction of farmland. This people are destroying our farms with their cattle. They had destroyed my cassava and palm tree farms. They graze on peoples farm brazenly. 

“A week ago, a Bororo boy engaged in open grazing inside the town; and an indigene challenged him and asked him to control the cattle to the bush, then he left. On getting back, the indigene met the Bororo boy at the same spot he left him. The indigene insisted that he must take the cattle away from the place, but instead, the Bororo boy called his father known a Jawe. Jawe took side with his son and asked him to attack the indigene, but the indigene overpowered him. Jawe called another person to join hand in attacking the indigene; it was then that he raised alarm and people intervened.  

“Another incident is one involving Saheed, a farmer. He went to his farm and met a Bororo stealing his yam. He challenged him and the Bororo arrogantly said: “I want to eat; that is why I am on your farm, won’t I eat”? Before we knew it, three other people surfaced from the bush and they tied Saheed’s hands behind. They beat the hell out of him. They fled when they heard sound of vehicle approaching the area they were. That it what we are facing in Eripa.

“We had earlier called the Fulanis to a meeting to ask why they engaged Bororo to cater for their cattle. We told them the Bororos are a threat to us and themselves and they agreed with us. They told us their children are going to school, so there was nobody available to care for their cattle, hence the engagement of the Bororos. We told them to stop using small boys and one person to care for the cattle; we insisted that they should have minimum of two or three matured individuals. 

“We sent the fulanis to the Bororos to caution them because they are wagging economic warfare against us. There is no factory in Eripa; the only means of livelihood is farming, and these people are destroying our farms. These Bororo had destroyed the farm of our Reverend in Eripa on three different occasions. They are wagging economic warfare against us and we want it to stop. The government should intervene.”

• Yusuf Oketola