Men of the Ondo State Security Network, also known as Amotekun, were on Friday evening attacked by some suspected herdsmen around Sango area along the Ado Ekiti road in Akure North Local Government Area of the state, injuring the officers.
The men of the corps were attacked after effecting the arrest of some 120 cows in a farm for violating the open grazing law in the state, while the herdsmen who led the cows to destroy the farms in the community took to their heels.
It was gathered that farmers from the area lodged several complaints against herders grazing on their farms and destroying their farms while a similar complaint was raised on Friday evening.
The operatives of the Amotekun were deployed to the area only to meet about 120 cows destroying the farms without the herders and subsequently moved the cows out of the farm, heading to their headquarters in Alagbaka area of Akure.
But along the Sango area, the Amotekun operatives were attacked with stones, bottles, cutlasses and guns, injuring the security men while one of the security officers reportedly went into coma after being hit with cutlasses and broken bottles.
The development caused pandemonium in the area while the Amotekun operatives deployed to the area shot into the air to dislodge the suspected herdsman.
Confirming the development, the Public Relations Officer of Ondo Amotekun, Jimoh Adeniken, stated that there had been constant complaints from farmers from Igoba and Osi areas of Akure North Local Government over the issue.
He said that the corps responded to the call on Friday around 4 pm to effect the arrest of the offenders but met only the cows.
He, however, explained that “during the operation, the corps surveillance team was led to the farms by the owners. On getting there, they met over 120 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.”
He stated further that “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”
He disclosed that “the owner of the cows have been identified while investigation continues by the corps.
“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.”
