Leaders and residents of eight communities in Ogbomoso South Local Government Area of Oyo State have given a group of unfamiliar Fulani herdsmen 48 hours to leave the area.
The communities said the decision followed growing concerns over security and alleged disturbances linked to the activities of the herders and their cattle.
The ultimatum was issued at a meeting held on Monday, August 10, 2026, in the Samaday area of Ogbomoso South.
The affected communities include Ibapon Are Oluwamodupe, Ayedire, Mercy Land, Estate, Irewolede, Ona Igbala, Ifesowapo and Grace Land.
Community leaders said they took the step after reports of insecurity in parts of the Ogbomoso axis raised fresh concerns about the safety of residents.
They also linked their concerns to recent kidnapping incidents recorded in the wider Ogbomoso area.
One of the incidents occurred in Oloka village, where a kidnapping case was reported.
The communities also referred to the May abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.
No fewer than 39 students and seven teachers were abducted during attacks on schools in the area, according to reports at the time.
The news had already triggered widespread concern across Oyo State, with teachers and other stakeholders demanding stronger security around schools and vulnerable communities.
Against this background, the residents said they did not want to wait until another serious security incident occurred before taking precautionary measures.
The meeting was attended by traditional and community leaders, representatives of Ogbomoso Parapo, the Seriki Fulani in Ibapon and some of the affected herdsmen.
Baale Ibapon, Ashifat Akanji, announced the ultimatum on behalf of the communities.
He said the residents were not opposed to peaceful Fulani residents who had lived in the area for years.
“We don’t know them, we have Fulanis who have been living with us here, whose head is Idowu, whom we issued ID cards. But these ones, we are unfamiliar with them and recently we held a security meeting with the Commissioner of Police who sternly warned us to be wary of strangers in our midst. We don’t cause trouble and we abide by the law but we won’t wait till evil befall us before we take action.”
Akanji said the communities had decided to act because of the security situation in the area.
He stressed that the decision was not targeted at all Fulani residents but was specifically directed at the group that recently moved into the area.
The chairman of the eight communities, Alagbe Oyebamiji, also accused the herders of causing problems for residents.
He alleged that their cattle had repeatedly destroyed farms and created sanitation problems in the communities.
“Their livestock destroys our farms, damages our septic tanks (soak away), defecates on the roads, which can cause accidents, which can transmit diseases and menaces us with stench, messing up the whole area. We had to report to law enforcement agents who drove them away but they returned, so, we notified the Ogbomoso Parapo, hence this step we jointly took.”
Oyebamiji said previous efforts to get the herders to leave had not produced a lasting solution.
According to him, law enforcement personnel had earlier intervened and removed the group from the area, but the herders later returned.
He said this prompted the affected communities to involve Ogbomoso Parapo and other traditional authorities before arriving at the latest decision.
Prince Aderemi Olude, chairman of Ogbomoso Parapo home headquarters, said the intervention was prompted by concerns raised by residents.
He explained that the communities initially sought clarification over how the herders came to settle in the area.
According to him, the herders reportedly claimed that the Baale had authorised their presence.
The traditional ruler, however, denied giving such permission.
Olude said the herders later mentioned the Seriki Fulani in the area, Alhaji Idowu, as the person who authorised them.
That claim was also denied, he said.
“When we heard of the matter that the herders had constituted themselves into nuisance and constituting security threat, we intervened. Initially, the communities claimed the herdsmen said Baale Ibapon permitted them to occupy the place but when we contacted the royal father he denied it, then, the herders said it was Seriki Fulani in the area, one Idowu, and that one too denied it.”
Olude said the conflicting accounts made it necessary to convene a wider meeting involving the different parties.
He said the meeting ended with the decision that the herders should leave within 48 hours.
“So, we convened a broad-based meeting this morning and after the meeting, we gave them 48 hours to vacate the place, after which we would take step according to the law. That is what security agencies have been preaching, to speak out when we see something strange that could pose a security challenge.”
The community leaders said they intended to pursue the matter through lawful channels.
They also urged residents to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands.
Recall, Politics Nigeria earlier reported in May the incident in Oriire after gunmen attacked schools and abducted dozens of students and teachers.
The incident also led to protests by teachers and calls for stronger protection of schools in the affected communities.
The Ogbomoso South communities are now demanding that the unfamiliar herders comply with the 48-hour directive.
They maintained that the ultimatum was intended to prevent a possible breakdown of peace and protect lives and property.
The leaders further indicated that any action taken after the deadline would be carried out within the law.
