Herdsmen Attack a Community in Ekiti State Leading to Several Deaths

Nigeria’s insecurity state has gotten to a state where citizens feel unsafe even in the safest areas in the country.

While the Northern part of the country is riddled with the activities of armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgency, cities and communities within the Southern part of the country also face security issue through kidnappings and herders killing which has become more prominent in recent months.

In a recent wave of insecurity, panic reigned in Iyemero town in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti state when suspected herdsmen alleged attacked the community.

Eda, one of the communities under Iyemero town was attacked by these suspected herdsmen in the wee hour of this morning.

The cold-blooded incident has claimed two lives and three others were inflicted with various degrees of injury.

According to THE NATION, sources within the community identified one of the dead as Mr Danjuma Ali, a Muslim farmer while the identity of the second person whose bodies had been deposited in the morgue of the General hospital, Ikole Ekiti is still undisclosed as at the time of filing this report.

Those undergoing medical treatment at the emergency section of the Federal Teaching Hospital (FETHI), Ido Ekiti include: Mrs Jennifer Akoko, Mr Joseph Achebe and one other victim.

The source said: “It has happened again today; it has been a recurrent killing. Some herders called Bororo stormed the farmstead and shot these innocent people.

“They came around 1am and were there till dawn. Our farmers are all afraid to go to their farmsteads. They all rushed to the palace of Oba Ebenezer Agboola Ogungbemi, the Olu of Iyemero Ekiti to take refuge. We are mourning today at Iyemero, we are not happy about this incident and the government must do something about it”, the source said.

The Olu of Iyemero, Oba Ogungbemi and Olu-In-Council, restated their calls for establishment of a police station in the town to curb the attackers.

The monarch, who spoke through the palace spokesman, Chief Ariyo Abejide, said there was urgent need for the teeming population of farmers in this farmstead to be protected and secured by the security agencies from another seemingly and imminent attacks and onslaught from the marauders.

“These Fulani herders stormed the community through the border of Iyemero at Eruku in Kwara state. This makes Iyemero a porous exit and entrant, which portend dangers and insecurity to the community, Ikole local government and the state in general”.

Oba Ogungbemi urged the residents to be peaceful and called for immediate intervention of the state government in this regard.

Also, the head of security and community vigilante group, Chief Jimoh Eshikin called on the state government to empower the village hunters,  in order to assist the security agents in effective Security surveillance  and patrol.

When called for confirmation, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, said he has not been briefed about the matter.

Source: dailyadvent