There is presently palpable tension among Fulani herdsmen in Osun State, as many of them have started fleeing the state with their cattle.
The moves as gathered, is not unconnected with the attack on their cattle by thunderstorms.
According to AffairsTV, movement of thousands of cows was noticed along Iwo-Osogbo road around wee hours on Sunday morning, following a natural disaster at Iba, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State, in which thunder killed 19 cows.
The movement of the herds of cows caused serious panic along the highway, as motorists scampered for safety for fear of being attacked by herdsmen.
One of the herdsmen AffairsTV spoke with, who simply identified himself as Haruna, confirmed that there was a resolution among herdsmen in the state to move their cows to a safer place.
He said : ”We are going home. We want to keep our cows in a safer place. This environment is no longer safe for us and our cows. We don’t really understand what is happening in Yoruba land.
“It happened in Ondo recently, in which our brothers in that state lost many cows to thunderstorms. The same thing is happening here in Osun, where our forefathers have lived for centuries without such an occurrence.
“These people are using spiritual power to kill our cows; killing our cows is tantamount to killing our future. You keep your money in the banks, don’t you? the cows remain our bank, so, any calamity that befalls the cows directly affect our future”.
Asking him about their destination and any possibility of returning to their base, Haruna reacted this way: ” Why are you asking me such question, are you a cattle rustler? We don’t disclose our destination to strangers. You are even making me angry”.
