Herdsmen: My home was invaded by cattle, don’t lie – Soyinka tells police
Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate, has insisted that his home was invaded by cattle belonging to herdsmen.
Soyinka said this while speaking on Arise TV on Thursday.
Recall that the police in Ogun State had claimed on Wednesday that a young Fulani man, Awalu Muhammad, whose cow had got missing, entered Soyinka’s vicinity in search of the animal.
Speaking on the development, Soyinka urged the police not to lie about the incident.
Soyinka said, “The police need to be educated when it comes to the invasion of homes, we are not talking just about the physical building but the home and the grounds. No cattle people attacked me, that is the fact. I am here physically, I have no injury, that never happened, but my home was invaded by cattle.
“Why should the police go to such lengths to suggest that I have nothing to do than to go accosting cattle on the road? What’s my business with cattle on the road? We drove them out of my property with my groundsman. In fact, they began the expulsion process. So, I joined them in herding the cattle out of my premises.
“After that, once they were out of my property, that was when I arrested the cows. Why did I arrest them? On exiting my property just outside by the gate, I beckoned to the herder. I said, ‘Come over here, haven’t I given you a warning before?’ He turned around and proceeded walking along, and then I walked towards him. So, he left into the bush and disappeared.
“His assistant also disappeared. We were left with the cattle. I peed the cattle by the roadside, called one of my groundsmen to stand there with me, and I sent for the police to come and take over. That is a very simple, ordinary, commonsensical proceeding.
“Why should the police find it necessary to say these cattle and the herdsmen were never in my property? What kind of nonsense? It is a distraction from more serious issues. I hate to be personally at the centre of issues like this. I am more concerned about students in Ondo who were being waylaid by herdsmen, being kidnapped. I am more concerned about people in Ogun State who are being butchered. So, please, I wish to beg the police, don’t make a big issue out of this. Don’t lie.”
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