Community cries out as herders allegedly kill five farmers in Ondo

Suspected herders have killed five farmers after attacking the Ajegunle Powerline community in Akure North Local Council of Ondo State. The suspects allegedly invaded the farmlands in the community and opened fire indiscriminately, resulting in the deaths of the victims.

According to community sources, the victims, who were from Plateau and Kaduna states, were working as labourers on the farmlands when they were struck by the bullets.

One of the farmers, Akin Olowolafe, recounted the incident, lamenting that herders frequently invade their farmlands with cattle. He described the latest attack as the most horrific due to the number of lives lost.

Olowolafe stated that security agencies had been informed of previous attacks on their farmlands, but no action had been taken to curb the criminals’ activities.

He said: “This is how they (herders) usually come to disturb and destroy our crops. We have reported them to the state government and even to the security agencies, but no positive steps have been taken to stop the herders from encroaching on our farmlands.

“These herders entered the farmlands on Tuesday while we were working and started shooting sporadically, killing five people during the attack.” Olowolafe emphasised that many farmers in the community have abandoned their farms out of fear for their lives, adding that the frequent clashes and destruction of crops have become a major concern. He called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and security agencies to intervene and protect the community from further attacks allegedly perpetrated by the herders.

A labourer, Fidelis Daniel, also spoke about the incident, saying: “They arrived at about 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday to destroy our farms. We had warned them not to come to our farmlands again, but they ignored us. When they arrived, they started shooting without warning.

“I was on the farm when the incident occurred. I heard gunshots and immediately ran for safety. It was only by God’s grace that I escaped; they could have killed me too.

“They came armed with weapons, destroyed our crops, and killed five people. Three of the victims were from Plateau State, and two were from Kaduna State.”
The remains of the victims have been deposited at the mortuary of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure Complex, by members of the Hunters and Vigilantes Association in Akure North Local Council.

The spokesperson for the state police command, CSP Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, confirmed the incident but stated that the investigation is ongoing. She said: “There was an attack on the community, and the police are still investigating. However, I cannot confirm the number of casualties at this time.”