‘Herdsmen did not attack Soyinka’s house’

The family of Prof. Woke Soyinka has refuted the claim that herdsmen had attacked his house in Abeokuta.

In a statement on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the family, Dr Olu Agunloye, said the trending story was not true.

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According to him, herdsmen did not break into Prof Soyinka’s house, saying there were no attacks and no attempts to attack the Nobel Laureate.

He said that what happened was that herdsmen led their cattle to graze in Prof Soyinka’s unfenced compound again on Tuesday despite his strong warnings to the herdsmen.

He stated: “Prof Soyinka has been living in the forest at the outskirt of Abeokuta in Area designated as GRA since the late 1980s.

“However, in recent times, cattle herders have desecrated the grounds of Professor Soyinka’s compound by flooding it with cows.

” The Professor summoned the herdsmen and sternly warned them to stop the ugly practice. He told them in very clear terms that it was unacceptable.”

He added that the herdsmen broke the rules Tuesday thinking that Prof Soyinka was not home.

He added: “When the Prof accosted them, they fled into the bush leaving their cows behind.

“Prof Soyinka reported the incident to the Police which later arrested the herdsmen and their cows.

“We can say categorically that Prof Soyinka and his house were not physically attacked but his compound was violated by recalcitrant herdsmen who wanted to turn his compound to a grazing field.

“Prof Soyinka and his family remain okay in their Abeokuta home.”