TheCable

At least six people including farmers and passengers have been reportedly killed in the last two weeks at the Arimogija and  Molege axis of Ose LGA of Ondo state.

Owolafe Folorunsho, a community leader, who spoke on the incident, said the suspected herders made a reprisal attack following a complaint to the police about their criminal activities.

Folorunsho said many houses, cars, and motorcycles were burnt during the attack.

He said the families of the victims killed some cows to fight back.

“The herders have continued to invade our farmlands at night, harvest our crops to feed their cows, and on many occasions, they will come during the day, forced us to uproot the cassava by ourselves at gunpoint, command us to cut them into pieces to feed their cows,” Folorunsho said. 

“In order not to take laws into our hands, we reported this act of economic sabotage to the appropriate authority who took prompt action to chase them out of the farming areas only for the Fulanis to come back and attacked us with AK-47, pump action, axes, and cutlasses and killed our people at night.”

Folorunsho said the herders laid an ambush on some traders coming from Akure – the state capital and killed all the occupants before taking their money and setting the car ablaze.

While speaking on the incident, Rotimi Obamuwagun, the onimoru of Imoru, expressed disgust about the criminal activities of the herders.

The monarch said the attackers destroyed four hectares of cassava farm belonging to a member of the community who took a loan with high-interest rate from a commercial bank to finance the farm.

Andrew Ikioya, the odibiado of Ijagba, said the suspected herders were also caught stealing from plantain plantations.

The monarch blamed the federal government for allowing “the herdsmen to go about with AK-47 rifles to terrorize innocent people”.

He also commended Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo governor, for the establishment of the Southwest Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, to checkmate the excesses of the herders, especially in the area.

Funmilayo Odunlami, the police public relations (PRO) of the Ondo command, confirmed the development on Monday.

Odunlami said the command has deployed its men to the community to allay the fears of the resident and main law and order.

” Yes, the information is true. Our men are there and there is a military presence also. The situation is under control,” Odunlami told TheCable.