Some officers of Amotekun Corps in Ondo State and some Falani Herdsmen on Friday sustained various degrees of injury when Amotekun men arrested over 120 cows and their herders for grazing and destroying tomatoes farms worth millions of naira at Igoba town in Akure North local government area of the state.
It was gathered that many farmers in the Igoba and Osi areas of Akure North Local Government have been reporting cases of vows grazing on their farms since the 6th of May 2024, until Friday when the Amotekun corps from the Headquarters Alagbaka Akure, responded to a distress call from a tomato farmer at Igoba that cows were grazing on his farm.
It was further learnt that the operatives of the Amotekun corps arrested over 120 cows feeding on the tomato farm, but on their way moving the arrested vows and herders to the Amotekun headquarters in Akure, they met resistant on their way as groups of armed Fulani herdsmen allegedly attacked the officers with stones, bottles, cutlasses, and guns around cow market “Songo Area”, along Akure-Igoba- Ado Ekiti Road.
The attack led to reinforcement by Amotekun corps to rescue some of their men who have been injured at the Songo market, while Amotekun men successful identified the cows owner, but could not move the cows to their corps headquarters as a result of the attack.
It was gathered that although nobody was declared dead, contrary to insinuation but several persons and security agents were injured during the attack on the Amotekun officers.
A statement from Amotekun Headquarters says, “Upon constant complaints from many farmers in the Igoba and Osi areas of Akure North Local Government since the 6th of May 2024 till date, the agency of Amotekun corps from the Headquarters Alagbaka Akure, responded today dated 5th of July 2024, at about 1600 hours.
“During the operation, the corps surveillance team was led to the farms by the owners. On getting there, met over one hundred and twenty cows ravaging the farms and there was nobody with the cows.
“The operatives of the Amotekun corps moved the cows out of the farms while passing by the Sango Area, along Ado Road, 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. Furthermore, 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 degrees of injuries during the attack and they are currently receiving medical attention at the Hospital.”
Confirming the attack on his men, the State Commander of Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye said no life was lost in the incident but some of his men were seriously injured.
Adeleye said the owner of the cows have been identified while investigation continued by the corps.
Also in a telephone interview, the spokesman of Hausa Community in the state, Mallam Usman Wano, denied the allegations, and alleged there was a casualty in the incident.
