Tension has reached a boiling point in Akure, the Ondo State capital, as farmers took to the streets to protest the brutal killing of five people allegedly by suspected herdsmen in Aba Oyinbo community in the Akure North Local Government Area.
The protesters, who gathered in large numbers outside the Governor’s Office, chanted solidarity songs and demanded that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa take immediate action to stop the relentless attacks on farmers.
The protesters also displayed the corpses of the victims killed by the herdsmen, blocking all roads linking the Governor’s office.
This protest comes on the heels of a devastating attack on Tuesday, where suspected Fulani herdsmen opened fire on laborers working on farmlands in Ajegunle-Powerline community, killing five people from Plateau and Kaduna States.
The community has been plagued by repeated attacks and destruction of crops by herdsmen, with local farmers calling on the government to intervene and protect them.
The fresh killings come barely two weeks after no fewer than 14 people were reportedly murdered by gunmen in four communities—Ademekun, Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, and Alajido—all in the same local government area.
The assailants invaded the community in the early hours of Wednesday, opening fire on the victims.
One of the protesters, identified simply as Jonah, decried the increasing spate of killings, alleging that the attackers infiltrated the state through Edo.
“We are being slaughtered without anyone doing anything. Akure North is under siege. We are farmers, not criminals. We are appealing to the governor, the police, the army, and Amotekun to save us before more lives are lost,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, security operatives had been deployed to prevent a break down of law and order.
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