Suspected herdsmen attack Ekiti community, kill 2 persons

Suspected herdsmen attack Ekiti community, kill 2 persons

Armed men suspected to be herders yesterday attacked Iyemero-Ekiti, Ikole local government, Ekiti State, killing two persons and inflicting serious injuries on three others.

The gory incident occurred at a farmstead called Eda, one of the communities in Iyemero town.

The incident, which witnesses said happened in the early hours of yesterday, has created panic in the community as residents fled their homes to prevent further attack.

The three injured persons were allegedly macheted during the attack by their assailants, who were said to have invaded the farmstead at midnight.

One of the dead was identified as Mr Danjuma Ali, a Muslim farmer, while the identity of the second person remained unknown at the time of filing this report.

Both bodies had been deposited in the morgue of the General Hospital, Ikole-Ekiti.

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

A source, who wouldn’t give her name, said, “It has happened again today. 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. The government must do something about this incident.”

Oba Ogungbemi and the Olu-in-Council restated their call for an establishment of a police station in the town to curb the killings.

The monarch, who spoke through the palace spokesman, Chief Ariyo Abejide, said there was an urgent need for the farmers in the farmstead to be protected and secured by the security agencies against another onslaught from the marauders.

The traditional ruler said, “These Fulani herders stormed the

community through the border of Iyemero at Eruku in Kwara State. This makes Iyemero a porous exit and entrance, which portends danger and insecurity to the community, Ikole local government and the state in general.”

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

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Deputy Superintendent Caleb Ikechukwu, however, told our correspondent he has not been briefed about the matter.