Two people were killed and six other residents of Oke Ako in Ikole local government council of Ekiti State, were Friday night, injured by suspected Fulani cattle herders, for allegedly refusing them to use their farmland for grazing.
Eyewitness confirmed to journalists that the gory incident, which happened at about 8:00pm on Friday, was despite the fact that the community had stopped the herdsmen from using their farmland for grazing and allegedly chased them away from the community.
One of the eyewitnesses, Mrs. Grace Olofin, alleged that the herdsmen in their numbers invaded the community and brandished dangerous weapons, including guns, bows, arrows, sword, matchetes; and hacked down the victims in the melee that ensued.
According to Olofin, the invaders had shot sporadically into the air and killed one Lekan Arosanyin and Ibiteye Olomi, while six others who sustained degrees of injuries are receiving treatment at a private hospital in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
Also another witness, who narrowly escaped, Adebayo Ajayi, described the incident as a reprisal attack, saying that the herdsmen had earlier fallen out with the villagers over their grazing activities in the community.
Ajayi further revealed that the villagers had been resisting the use of their farmlands as grazing fields by the herdsmen even as other residents of Oke Ako blamed Police in the area for failing to act swiftly when the case was reported to them.
One of the residents, Muyiwa Olukosi, whose wife sustained matchete cuts, disclosed that the case was reported to police in the area, stressing that there was no response from the police who demanded N12, 000 to fuel their Hilux van before they could move to the scene.
But for the prompt response of a team of the Nigerian Army from Akure, Olukosi disclosed, the situation would have been worse.The State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, while visiting the town on Saturday said the state government would take all necessary steps to avoid reoccurrence.
“We won’t allow strangers to destroy our lives and properties at will. This is a sad development that we must tackle to ensure justice and peace reign in the state,” he declared.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, while confirming the incident, disclosed that normalcy has returned to the community, assuring that the police would also investigate the allegation of laxity on the part of the policemen.
