Herdsmen Kill Five Farmers, Spark Protests In Ondo

Tension swept through Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Wednesday as farmers took to the streets in protest over the alleged killing of five people by suspected herdsmen in the Aba Oyinbo community, located in the Akure North Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the assailants invaded the community in the early hours of Wednesday, opening fire on the victims.

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.

Angry protesters stormed the Governor’s Office in large numbers, chanting solidarity songs and calling on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene and halt the unrelenting attacks on farmers.

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 the protest scene to prevent a breakdown of law and order.