Olu Falae vows never to leave his farm or grant Fulani herdsmen land for a colony within it

FORMER finance minister and secretary to the federal government Chief Olu Falae has vowed not to leave his farm despite a string of attacks on it including an attack yesterday which destroyed five hectares of palm trees.

Yesterday evening, armed men apparently stormed the farm near Akure, the Ondo State capital and set fire to the 40 hectare facility. Chief Falae believes it was the handiwork of Fulani cattle herdsmen who has had had running's-in with in the past and last year, he was even kidnapped and held for several days before being released.

According to the former minister, the farm located at Ilado near Akure, was set on fire by about 10 herdsmen at about 5:30pm, yesterday, when workers were away for the weekend. According to Chief Falae's spokesman Captain Raji, the herdsmen fled the scene after starting the fire.

Chief Falae said: "I will resist any provocation and harassment by Fulani herdsmen to drive me out of my farm. I have been here for 32 years and there shall be no colony in their balance as it's a fraud."

So far, the Ondo State Police Command said it has not arrested anyone in connection with the fire in which oil palm trees and some other cash crops were destroyed. Police spokesman Femi Joseph, said they could not be ascertain if the act was carried out by herdsmen because there was no arrest yet.

He, however, explained that the command had begun investigation on the incident. Mr Joseph noted that the state police commissioner Gbenga Adeyanju and the state agriculture commissioner Gboyega Adefarati and other top government functionaries had visited the farm to assess the extent of the damage.

Mr Joseph said: “We were on the farm today and I want to tell you that the affected area on the farm did not have much crops. Although that is not to say anybody has the right to burn another person’s farm.

“We are still investigating. We don’t know those who did the act, so we can’t say specifically whether it was a particular person or not because we have not arrested anybody yet and we didn’t meet anybody there when we got there today."

Pan-Yoruba socio-political association Afenifere, described the attack on Chief Falae as an attack on the entire Yorubaland. Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, the Afenifere general secretary, blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for being silent on the issue of herdsmen attacks across the country.

Chief Arogbofa said: “The silence of the head of state on these issues is very ominous and it doesn’t augur well for the oneness of this country because if somebody of the status of Chief Falae is undergoing this type of trauma and the president doesn’t say anything, they say silence means consent. It is so unfortunate and unfair, if this type of thing is happening and the president is looking the other way, it is not good.

"This is an attack on the people of Yorubaland. Chief Falae is a national figure and if he is being treated like this, it means the government doesn’t have any regard for us in Yorubaland.”