A 75-year-old farmer in Ekiti State, Pa Adesoye Oguntayo, who was attacked and injured on his farm by herdsmen, narrates his near-death experience to ABIODUN NEJO
Please introduce yourself.
I am Pa Adesoye Oguntayo. I am a farmer in Oke Ako Ekiti in the Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State. But I am from Kogi State. I came to Ekiti to work. I was working as an officer at the cattle ranch in Oke Ako until the authorities closed down the ranch. It was then that I decided to go into farming.
How old are you?
I am 75 years old.
What crops do you plant?
I used to plant yam, but Fulani herdsmen, through their activities, do not allow us to go to farm anymore. In short, I can no longer plant anything. I only have a cashew plantation now.
Farming was profitable until the herdsmen turned farming to a curse in this place. It was in the last few years when herdsmen came to this area that we can no longer plant yam. If you dare it, they will uproot everything and feed to their cattle. I was on my cashew plantation when they came to attack me. I survived just by God’s grace.
When were you attacked?
It was on Monday, March 28.
How did the attack happen?
That day, I was picking cashew fruits on the plantation. I saw one herdsman, so I decided to greet him, but he did not reply. Because I can speak their language, whenever I see them, I joke with them and make efforts to be friendly. That was what I had wanted to do that day, but the herdsman, without any provocation started beating me with his herding stick. Before I could understand what was happening, four other herdsmen appeared and joined their colleague in attacking me. The first one later brought out his machete from its sheathe and started hacking my head and body. I kept asking him in their language what my offence was, but neither the guy nor the four others said a word. They just kept beating me.
How were you able to escape?
On seeing that they had inflicted injuries on my head and body and perhaps thinking I would die, the five of them suddenly took to their heels. As they fled, I picked myself up and dragged myself home, with blood dripping from all parts of my body. On my way, even before I got to the military post, those who saw me in that condition had sent message to my son and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps who arranged for a vehicle to pick me and take me to the hospital at Ikole Ekiti.
How long did you spend in the hospital?
They stitched my head and ears. I was hospitalised for one week. Then I was discharged and asked to come back for removal of stitches and dressing of the wounds. When I went back, on examination, they said the wounds had not healed enough for removal of the stitches and I was asked to further come back.
Have you completed the treatment now?
Yes but I still use hot water therapy and massage everyday for the wounds to permanently heal and to relieve the pains. You know the head is delicate, so whatever happens to it, especially injury, has to be efficiently handled.
You must be scared of returning to that farm, aren’t you?
Of course, I am scared. I will no longer go to farm to pick cashew. The herdsmen are everywhere around there. I don’t want a repeat of the attack. I thank God I was not killed. My silent prayer is that nemesis will catch up with them one of these days. I did not offend them in any way before they descended on me. I had been seeing them under my mango tree and I never questioned or stopped them from eating my mangoes or cashew. At times, they would climb to select ripe ones and I never queried them. That day, I even thought they were coming for the mangoes.
Did you report the case to the police?
Actually, on my way to town after the attack, the first place I went was the soldiers’ post to inform them. I was soaked in blood. But rather than attend to me or show any concern, the soldiers queried why I came to them instead of going straight to the hospital. I told them I wanted them to see the situation. Despite my condition, they took no action and said they could not take me to hospital because there was no fuel in their vehicle. I was disappointed because if it was a Fulani or Bororo (herder) that was attacked by community members, these same soldiers would have come for us all in the community. The soldiers around here are not helping matters. They are making us vulnerable as they support or take sides with the herdsmen.
What about the police?
They are not doing anything about it either. They come around, move into the bush and go back to their base.
What do you want government to do?
I call on the state government to have mercy on us, take interest in the case of Oke Ako and the neighbouring communities by way of helping us to permanently check the menace of herdsmen in the communities. All of us can no longer go to our farms; we are being denied and deprived of our sources of income. They have pauperised an erstwhile prosperous community. The government should come to our aid.
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