A confrontation between Amotekun Corps officers and Fulani herdsmen in Ondo State has resulted in several injuries on both sides.
The incident occurred on Friday when Amotekun men arrested over 120 cows and their herders for grazing and destroying tomato farms worth millions of naira at Igoba town in Akure North local government area.
According to reports, farmers in the area had been complaining about the herders grazing on their farms since May 6, 2024.
On Friday, Amotekun corps responded to a distress call from a tomato farmer and arrested the cows and herders.
However, while transporting the arrested herders and cows to their headquarters, they were attacked by armed Fulani herdsmen, leading to injuries on both sides.
The Amotekun Corps confirmed the incident in a statement, stating that their officers were attacked with stones, bottles, cutlasses, and guns, and several officers sustained injuries.
The corps also identified the owner of the cows and is currently investigating the incident.
The State Commander of Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, confirmed the attack on his men, while one of the herders denied the allegations and claimed there was a casualty in the incident.
No fatalities have been reported, and the injured are receiving medical attention.
UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE AMOTEKUN CORPS AT SANGO AREA, IGOBA, ALONG ADO ROAD, AKURE BY THE FULANI HERDSMEN
Upon constant complaints from many farmers in the Igoba and Osi areas of Akure North Local Government since the 6th of May 2024 till date, the agency of Amotekun corps from the Headquarters in Alagbaka Akure, responded today dated 5th of July 2024, at about 1600 hours.
During the operation, the corps surveillance team was led to the farms by the owners. On getting there, they met over one hundred and twenty cows ravaging the farms and there was nobody with the cows.
Determined to enforce the anti-open grazing law of the State, the operatives of the Amotekun corps moved the cows out of the farms, and while passing by the Sango Area, at Igoba, along Ado Road in Akure, groups of armed Fulani herdsmen attacked the officers with stones, bottles, cutlasses, and guns.
Thereafter, the corps retreated based on the order from the state Headquarters of the Amotekun corps.
Furthermore, the assailants continued to throw stones and bottles till they invaded the main road and hacked one of the Amotekun officers to a coma while attempting to disarm the officers and men of the Amotekun corps.
Sequentially, the officers of the Amotekun Corps shot into the air to dislodge them and move back to the office. Unfortunately, other officers sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attack and they are currently receiving medical attention at the Hospital.
Hence, the owner of the cows have been identified while investigation continues by the corps.
It would be recalled, that the government of Ondo state had on August 31st, 2021, signed the Anti-Grazing Bill into law. The decision which was is in line with the resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum was aimed at stemming needless instances of skirmishes, conflicts as well as infractions on the enviably peaceful disposition of the good people of Ondo State.
Government will continue to pursue with vigour, through lawful means, to ensure strict compliance of the law with a view to ensuring, that the efforts of farmers would not be truncated through destruction of their farmlands by herders and their cows.
Officers of the Corps will however, continue to carry out its legal functions of protecting people of the state as well as their properties.
E-signed
Jimoh Adeniken
Public relations officer Ondo Amotekun
