Again, Herdsmen Attack Falae’s Farm, Kill Guard 

•  Another farmer killed in Okada

By James Sowole in Akure and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

One of the members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) employed as security guards by the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae on his farm against the invasion of herdsmen has been killed by the suspected Fulani herdsmen.

In a related development, suspected Fulani herdsmen in Okada, headquarters of Ovia North East local government area of Edo state yesterday murdered a farmer simply identified as Alex.

THISDAY gathered that the herdsmen stormed Falae’s farm located at Ilado in Akure North Local Government area of Ondo State and kidnapped the security guard after the deceased and his colleagues resisted grazing on their principal’s farm.

The corpse of the deceased, who was kidnapped from the farm last weekend, was discovered few days ago inside a pool of water which is few kilometers to the farm.

A source said the guards repelled the herdsmen when they first arrived only for them to resurface after mobilising more of their men and kidnapped one of the guards.

It was gathered that the matter was reported at the state police command following which a search party was organised and which discovered his corpse many days later.

The state police command which had sent out invitation for a press briefing  on the matter put it off for undisclosed reasons.

Though, the Commissioner of Police, Hilda Harrison did not give any reason for the cancellation of the media briefing, sources said the assignment may have been halted because the Commissioner had not gotten approval from the Inspector General of Police.

When asked questions on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Ondo State Command, Femi Joseph declined comment saying all the questions should be directed to the Police Commissioner.

The Personal Assistant to Chief Falae, Moshood Adekunle Raji said the matter was a criminal one and would be handled by the state Police Command.

Suspected Fulani Herdsmen Kill Farmer in Okada…

The man killed in Okada yesterday was aged 64, was brutally butchered and his remains were found in a bush near his farm by a search party led by his younger brother.

His wife, Margaret, pointed accusing fingers at the Fulani herdsmen in the area, saying her husband had been complaining about their activities on his farm.

According to her, “They have killed my husband and left me to care for the children. The people that went there said they saw the Fulani people’s sandals in the place.”

A youth in the community who claimed to follow policemen to the scene said, “I followed policemen and the family to the scene. There were cuts all over his body. They cut his neck and stabbed him in the stomach.”

The youth said they went to the Fulani camp and discovered that all the inhabitants had disappeared.

Confirming the killing, Omosede Igbinedion, the member representing Ovia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives described the killing as “another tragedy that has become a common occurrence in today’s Nigeria.”

Omosede who hails from Okada community urged the State Commisoner of Police to carry out an immediate full scale investigation with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book.

She said: “I received with both shock and horror, the dastardly act perpetrated by someone who can only be described as “barbaric, inhumane and animalistic.

“We will not sit back and allow this to continue. I will bring the attention of the Federal Government to this gruesome murder which was allegedly carried out by Fulani Herdsmen.

“It is expected that these herdsmen co-exist with the indigenous people of Okada and Ovia in a dignified manner. They have no right over another man’s farmland furthermore killing a man in cold blood.

“Every citizen of Nigeria should feel protected under the law. My heart goes out to the family of the deceased. I can only imagine what they must be going through at this moment in time.”