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Suspected herdsmen rob commuters, kill civil servant on Ife-Ibadan highway

By Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo and Ayodele Afolabi, Ado Ekiti
13 June 2019   |   4:37 am
Suspected herdsmen yesterday went on the prowl again on the dreaded Ife-Ibadan expressway, killing a civil servant, Mr. Adenipekun Ademiju. Ademiju, popularly called Okere, a member of staff of Atakunmosa West Local Government Area of Osun State, boarded a private vehicle at Osu, on his way to Ibadan before the unfortunate incident occurred at Ikire.…

Ife-Ibadan highway

Suspected herdsmen yesterday went on the prowl again on the dreaded Ife-Ibadan expressway, killing a civil servant, Mr. Adenipekun Ademiju.

Ademiju, popularly called Okere, a member of staff of Atakunmosa West Local Government Area of Osun State, boarded a private vehicle at Osu, on his way to Ibadan before the unfortunate incident occurred at Ikire. The assailants robbed commuters before they murdered Ademiju.

An eyewitness said Ademiju was shot dead when the robbers shot indiscriminately at vehicles to forcefully stop them. “The man was killed by Fulani herdsmen who normally rob on this road. Two of them were in the car, I think the bullets missed the target, who is the driver and killed the man. The robbers dropped the body on the highway and went away with the car,” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Folashade Odoro, who confirmed the incident, said police are still investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, relative peace has returned to Ifewara in Atakunmomosa West local government area of Osun where the Yoruba and Hausa community engaged in a violent clash on Tuesday evening.

There was heavy presence of armed policemen at strategic locations including Ife and Ilesa roads and the main gate of the monarch’s palace in the town. The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Ige, on Tuesday had drafted policemen to the area to restore peace.

The Guardian learnt that a misunderstanding between an indigene simply identified as Demola and an Hausa miner in the area snowballed into an open fight while supporters of the two mobilised against each other to aggravate the situation.

In the melee that ensued, property, including motorcycles, a house and Sabo market were set ablaze. The Guardian observed that motorists plying the areas were still scary of the situation while many residents were afraid to venture out yesterday for fear of reprisals.

Ifewara is the hometown of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye and former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi.

In another development, it was a tensed atmosphere at Ilasa Ekiti, Ekiti East local government area as a herdsman, name withheld, chopped off the head of a young lady with cutlass. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday evening, has thrown the whole community into confusion.

The victim, who is also of the same tribe with the suspected assailant, was attacked beside a stream where she had gone to fetch water with her younger sister.

The assailant was said to have ambushed the lady and brought down her head while she bent down to collect some water from the stream. He took to his heels but was later arrested through the information provided by the younger sister of the deceased who witnessed the incident.

Those who spoke with newsmen in the community, including the traditional ruler, Alasa of Ilasa, Oba Ajayi Omolagba, revealed that the young lady had been allegedly handed over to the suspected assailant as a future wife while she was still a teenager in line with their custom and tradition.

However, trouble started last month when the suspect requested the lady to spend the Eld-el-Fitr with him. The failure of the family of the lady to release her before, during and after the celebration angered the suspect who assumed the contract had been breeched by the family, hence the dastardly act.

Another report said the lady after growing up observed that the supposed husband was a drunkard and drug addict, and decided to avoid him for necessary marriage arrangements. Some relatives of the deceased who did not want their named mentioned expressed sadness over the development.

They affirmed that the suspected murderer made a request to spend the Eld-el-Fitr with his supposed wife. Oba Omolagba condemned the incident and said the community had been in shock since it occurred.

He said he had summoned the families of all parties involved and their landlords to a meeting where resolutions were reached on how to forestall future occurrence. Oba Omolagba noted that the community would also appease the god as such incident was strange and a taboo in the land.

When contacted, the Ekiti State police public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu, confirmed the incident and said investigation has been launched to unravel the causes of such criminal act, while more details would be made available to newsmen.

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