‘Herdsmen did not attack Prof Soyinka, they only grazed in his compound’ – Olu Agunloye, Olaokun Soyinka

Former Minister, Dr Olu Agunloye, has said that the trending story that herdsmen went to attack Professor Wole Soyinka in his house in Abeokuta is not true. “Herdsmen did not break into his house. There were no attacks and no attempts to attack the Nobel Laureate,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

“What happened was that herdsmen led their cattle to graze in Prof Soyinka’s unfenced compound again yesterday despite his strong warnings to the herdsmen,” Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel and former Minister of State for Defence (Navy) explained.

Dr. Agunloye’s position had earlier been advanced by Professor Soyinka’s son, Dr Olaokun Soyinka, who said “I have confirmed that while cows did stray onto his land yesterday, there has been no attack, no violence and no attempt to enter the house.”

Dr. Soyinka appealed: “Kindly debunk this information (the story that Professor Soyinka was attacked) where you can. We do not need confusion added to the already tense situation in the country.”

According to Agunloye, “Prof Soyinka has been living in the forest at the outskirt of Abeokuta in Area designated as GRA since 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.”

Continuing, the one time boss of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) founded by Professor Soyinka, said “however, the herdsmen broke the rules yesterday thinking that Prof Soyinka was not home. 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,” Agunloye, who is also a former governorship candidate in Ondo State, on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) stressed.