Farmers and herders living in the Baasi area,Atisbo local government of Oyo State have been charged to be their brothers’ keeper and live as one family with a view to achieving peaceful co-existence in the land.
The admonition was part of the submissions made by the Onibaasi of Baasi,Oba Sunday Azeez Babatunde Asunmo Modele and the representatives of various security agencies in the council area at a peace meeting to address the incessant clashes between farmers and herders.
The stakeholders who converged on the Baasi viewing center, venue of the meeting, admonished all the parties to be considerate and desist from destroying other people’s source of livelihood.
The peace meeting also had the Baasi community chairman Prince Tajudeen Ashafa and representatives of Fulani, Hausa,Juku, Gbari,Togo and a team from Blue Sky Agro Allied Ltd in attendance.
While speaking, the Onibaasi urged the fulani settlers to desist from the habit of land encroachment,farm invasion and other nefarious activities being perpetrated by their kinsmen.
He emphasized that the private company which is sited in Baasi town is productively engaging teaming youths of the area as employer of labour whose property should not be vandalized.
Earlier, the Deputy Director Public Relations, Blue Sky Agro Allied Ltd., Engr. Odunayo Ijiehin condemned the nefarious habit of some fulani herders who often invade company’s premises there by destroying valuable properties such as farm tanks and pipes. He also raised concern about how their members of staff are usually being threatened with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, carting away company’s property in the process.
The monarch reiterated that there is a letter emanating from the company warning herders to stay away from their territory as the company is going to embark on fumigation of their plants which according to them may be injurious or poisonous for cattle and other animals.
The DCO Ago Are, ASP Mavello Malgt , SC Adejumo Wale of NSCDC,Mr Adelere of Amotekun Corps and DSS representative in their submission, urged all Baasi settlers to have the fear of God at heart and be their brothers keeper.
They stressed that Nigeria is a united entity and the security of every community is paramount and as such, there is a need for the people of the town to live together in peace irrespective of their tribes and affiliations.
In their speech, representatives of different tribes living in Baasi bemoaned the incessant attacks by herders and called for mutual respect.
The setters stressed that herders uprooted farm products like maize cassava, sorghum,yam among others to feed their cattle not minding the consequences.
The meeting resolved that there should not be any further clashes between farmers and herders as a result of encroachment and threat or attacks.
They also agreed that no one should poison the cattle again.
They also charged traders who engaged in buying farm products along the road or around the town to desist from the habit in order to address cases of stolen goods being sold without taking it to the market.
At the meeting were Mr Thangapandi Seemairaja,Mr Sandeep Ponnekanti of Blue Sky Agro Allied Ltd, Baba Yoruba of Baasi Alhaji Yinusa,Adegboyega Adefabi Bale Agbe Baasi,Mr Mudasiru Sakariyahu Chairman Baasi settlers among others
Report By Kaseem Jenrade