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Domestic staff of Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, yesterday confirmed that suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded his private residence located in a serene forest, near Ilugun village, Abeokuta, recently.
An online medium had quoted Soyinka at a public forum at Freedom Park, Lagos, as saying: “We are living in dangerous times. My home is under invasion… From Imeko to Abeokuta is under invasion by herdsmen.
“This is a deliberate act of provocation. The trespasses have been frequent. We have reported to the Police, but government is taking security lightly.
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“We need to wake up the government, let them know the seriousness of the issue on ground. These herdsmen are worse than Boko Haram,” Soyinka had said.
But spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi, told The Guardian that the case was yet to be reported to the Command.
However, one of Soyinka’s domestic staff, who spoke to journalists at his (Soyinka) residence, said the herdsmen had, on two occasions, led their cattle to graze around the residence.
The source which spoke on condition of anonymity, added: “Yes, it is true that the herdsmen have invaded this place (residence) twice. The last time they came was on Saturday, April 15.
“They came directly to graze around the house and even got to the frontage and we had to chase them away.
“Nobody saw them the first time they came, it was after they had gone that Prof (Soyinka) saw the footprints of the cattle and drew our (domestic staff) attention to that. But when they came the second time, they met us and we chased them away and since then, we have not seen them again.”
