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Outrage as herdsmen kill five farmers in Ondo community

By Ayodele Popoola

Police launch manhunt for killers

Residents recount how ‘armed herdsmen invaded our community, gunned down five farm labourers’

The Ondo State Police Command has launched an extensive manhunt for suspected herdsmen who allegedly killed five farmers in Ajegunle, Akure North Local Government area of the state.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident to Weekend Hope, stated that an investigation was underway while efforts were being intensified to apprehend the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

“There was an attack on the community, and the police are conducting a thorough investigation. However, I cannot confirm the exact number of casualties at this time,” Odunlami said.

Eyewitness accounts indicated that the incident occurred around 3pm on Tuesday, when the victims, mainly farm labourers, were working on a farm when the armed assailants swooped on them.

A local farmer, Akin Olowolafe, who also confirmed the attack, alleged that some Fulani herdsmen carried out the heinous act, lamenting the continued invasion of farmlands and destruction of crops by herders.

“These herdsmen killed five of our labourers. This has been a recurring issue; our farms are frequently invaded, crops destroyed, and lives lost. Despite repeated reports to security agencies, no decisive action has been taken,” he said.

Olowolafe further recounted how the attackers stormed the farmland, firing indiscriminately and killing the victims instantly.

He expressed concern over the rising insecurity in the area, claiming that many farmers had abandoned their farmlands due to fear of being attacked by the suspected armed herdsmen.

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According to him, recurring clashes and destruction of crops have forced several farmers to stop working, while the presence of the armed herdsmen poses a significant threat, particularly to women working on farms.

He urged the state government, led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and security agencies to take urgent measures to address the situation and prevent further attacks.

A labourer, Fidelis Daniel, who also claimed to have witnessed the attack, corroborated Olowolafe’s account, stating that the assailants invaded the community in broad daylight and unleashed violence on the farmers.

“We had previously warned them to stay away from our farmlands, but they refused to listen. When they arrived, they started shooting and killed five of our colleagues, whose bodies have now been taken to the mortuary,” he stated.

Daniel, who said he narrowly escaped death, described the moment of the attack as horrendous.

“I heard gunshots and ran for my life. It was only by God’s grace that I survived. They suddenly appeared with weapons, destroyed our crops, and killed five people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the remains of the victims have been deposited at the morgue of the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, UNIMEDTH, Akure, as police intensify efforts to apprehend the perpetrators.

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