Fulani herdsmen in Ibarapa Central Local Government of Oyo State say they will boycott the weekly Kara cattle market in Igbo Ora to protest unending killing of their cattle.
National President of Jamu Nati Fulbe Association, Abdulkadir Salihu in a chat with Daily Trust in Lagos said the killings of their livestock by suspected farmers in the area had continued unabated despite several pleas for the state government to intervene.
The Kara market in Igbo Ora is the central market for weekly cattle trade throughout Ibarapa and its environs in Oyo State.
Suspicion that some cattle may have been killed using poison raised tension in the area.
The Fulani leader told Daily Trust that nothing tangible had been done by authorities to stop the killings.
According to him, this has prompted their members to resolve to boycott the market slated for Thursday in Igbo Ora while they would use the day to hold a meeting to decide on the next line of action.
Salihu disclosed that butchers in the area had since Friday withdrawn their activities in solidarity with them.
He said, "In Igbo Ora alone, about four [cattle] were killed [on Monday]. In Jigangan where I live, three were also killed. There are some that we are still trying to revive as a result of the poisonous substance given to them.
"In fact if not for my swift intervention, the problem would have degenerated [on Monday] but I had to calm our people not to take laws into their hands in spite of the glaring provocation. You know these cows that are daily being mowed down are our source of livelihood yet these attacks have continued unabated.”
