Ondo govt to set up ‘Amot’ Rangers to tackle farmer, herder clashes

• Amotekun parades nine suspects
• Osun community pledges food security if govt provides amenities

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has directed the Amotekun Corps to set up a rangers unit that is capable of combating the incessant clashes between farmers and herders in the state.

Commander of the Amotekun Corps in the state, Adetunji Adeleye, who disclosed this, yesterday, said that six major control points for a special unit code-named ‘Amot Rangers’ would be established in border communities identified as flashpoints.

According to Adeleye, the move is according to the state’s Livestock and Grazing Regulations and Establishment of Ranch Law 2021, as amended, which mandates the state security network agency to oversee and enforce peaceful relationships between the farmers and headers, as well as inhabitants of the forests.

The commander, who spoke while parading nine suspected criminals at the headquarters of the Corps in Alagbaka, Akure, emphasised that the ‘Amot Rangers’ would leave and stay in the forests to control activities of the herders. He said that the nine arrested suspects were apprehended across various parts of the state over their alleged involvement in various crimes.

IN another development, the people of Igbotele Village in Odo-Otin Local Council of Osun State have appealed to the state government to provide social amenities for them to enable them to provide more food for the populace.

Some of the villagers, most of whom are seasoned farmers, said the lack of basic amenities had discouraged them from settling in local communities. They urged the state government to provide good schools, roads, hospitals, water and electricity for them. The Imam of the village, Muritala Yusuf, commended the Osun State Community and Social Development Agency for constructing boreholes for them.