TERRORISTS ON RAMPAGE IN OSE; ATTACK FOUR COMMUNITIES - Killing residents and destroying property

 

No fewer than six farmers, traders & passengers have been gruesomely murdered in the last two weeks at Arimogija & Molege axis of Ose Local Government Area of Ondo state.

The rampaging herdsmen were said to have attacked farmers, and destroyed their crops at Arimogija, Molege, Imoru and Ijagba in the last two weeks.

Narrating the ordeal, a community leader, Mr. Owolafe Folorunsho said the recent attacks were triggered by efforts made by farmers to repel the continued wanton destruction of their crops and farmlands by fulani herdsmen.

He said the herders have continued to invade their farmlands at night, destroying their crops and harvesting them to feed their cows.
Mr. Folorunsho added that the Fulani herdsman had on many occasions forced the farmers to uproot their cassava by themselves to feed their cows at gunpoint during the day.

He said the acts of the rampaging herdsmen had been reported to law enforcement agencies who acted promptly and chased them out of the area, but they later regrouped came back and launched  attacks on the villages at night with sophisticated weapons, killing and maiming the unarmed villagers, and burning their property. 

According to a Crime Reporter,  Sola Obagbemisoye, the herdsmen also laid ambush on Akure-Benin expressway, launched attack a car coming from Akure, killed all the occupants, took their money and set the car ablaze before fleeing into the bush.

Confirming the report, the Olumoru of Imoru, Oba  Rotimi Obamuwagun descried the atrocities of the Fulani herdsmen in the area, saying they were becoming unbearable.

Also, the Odibiado of Ijagba, Oba Andrew Ikioya Ilevbare, lamented that the bandits have become so daring to the extent that they have begun  harvesting their plantains and bringing them to market to sell. 

The royal fathers queried why the herdsmen were allowed to best sophisticated weapons like AK-47 and other dangerous weapons unmolested.

They however praised the Governor of Ondo state, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, CON, for the establishment of the Southwest Security Network, known as Amotekun, to checkmate the excesses of the herders especially in the area.

The Chairman of Ose Local Government, Prince Dennis Adekunle, who conveyed the message the state government to the people, said the Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu was deeply touched by the situation.

Prince Adekunle pleaded with communities in the area not to take law into their hands, assuring them that the council was already meeting with the relevant authorities & stakeholders with the aim of redesigning the security architecture of all the flashpoints in area.

He however called on residents of the  communities to be more security conscious, especially on information and intelligence gathering so that they could provide security agencies with useful and correct information.

The council boss commended the security agencies especially the Army, the Police, DSS and Amotekun Corps for responding appropriately to the situation, saying their timely interventions prevented the terrorists from wiping out of the earth the entire Arimogija community.