No fewer than six persons have been reportedly killed by some yet-to-be-identified gunmen in the last two weeks in the Arimogija and Molege axis of Ose Local Government Area of Ondo state.

The victims, according to villagers, are farmers, traders and passengers.

Residents of the communities are fleeing their homes over further attacks from the gunmen, whom many suspect are armed herdsmen.

A community leader, Owolafe Folorunsho, said some gunmen attacked the communities on February 2. The attack, he claimed began after farmers tried to repel the continued wanton destruction of their crops by the herdsmen.

He said: “The herders have continued to invade our farmlands at night. They harvest our crops to feed their Ccws, and on many occasions, they will come during the day, force us to uproot the cassava by ourselves at gunpoint. They would command us to cut them into pieces to feed their cows.

“In order not to take the laws into our hands, we reported the problem of economic sabotage to the appropriate authority who took prompt action to chase them out of the farms. But to our surprise, herdsmen came back and attacked us with AK-47, Pump Action, axes and cutlasses. They killed our people at night.”

According to him, the herdsmen laid ambush in a broad daylight and attacked some traders coming from Akure, during they killed and robbed the people , after which they set their vehicle ablaze.

Confirming the sad incident, the Onimoru of Imoru, Oba Rotimi Obamuwagun, lamented the atrocities of the herdsmen in the area. He expressed sadness about the criminal activities of the herdsmen in his domain.

The monarch’s claims were also corroborated by the Odibiado of Ijagba, Oba Andrew Ikioya Ilevare, who added that the bandits have now resulted to harvesting plantains and bring them to market to sell.

The royal fathers, who queried why the Federal Government should allow herdsmen carry AK-47 rifles to terrorize innocent people, praised the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, for the establishment of the Southwest Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun.

The Chairman of the local government, Prince Adekunle Dennis, who visited the troubled communities, expressed government’s concern over the security situation in Ose LGA, promising that something will be done urgently to checkmate the excesses of the herdsmen.

He said the council is meeting with the relevant authorities and stakeholders with the aim of redesigning the security architecture of all the flashpoints to nip the security challenges in the bud.

While calling on the community leaders and youth organizations to be more security conscious, the council boss charged them to improve on intelligence gathering that will enable them give give correct and useful information to the security agencies.

 

Mrs Dorcas Afeniforo, the Commissioner II at the Kwara State Civil Service Commission, , is dead.

Mrs Afeniforo, a former commissioner for Women Affairs and top loyalist of the governor, died in an auto crash on Saturday while returning from a trip to Lagos.

The state governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Sunday, described the death of the late women development advocate as shocking and painful.

“The development is shocking and painful. It is a huge loss to the progressive family in the state. Mrs Afeniforo will always be remembered for her fine legacies as a foremost women development advocate and her contributions to the development of the state,” the governor said in a statement.

“We commiserate with the family of Mrs Afeniforo and with the good people of Baruten and Kwara north whom she represented at the CSC until her death. We pray to God to grant comfort to the family she left behind,” he added.

 

Men of the Lagos Police Command, on Sunday, arrested 10 suspected Yoruba Nation agitators over unlawful assembly.

The police also dismantled a protest camp set up by the agitators at Alausa in Ikeja ahead of the planned nationwide anti-Buhari disturbance, billed to commence February 6.

A flier with notice of the protest surfaced on the social media calling on all Nigerians against the lingering cash crunch and fuel scarcity to join the “Buhari Must Go” protest in all major cities.

Although unsigned, the information was greeted by mixed reactions, with those against it accusing the government of plans to stop the general elections billed to hold in two weeks.

It was gathered that the agitators had stormed Alausa with cooking wares, tents, generators, bread and other food items in order to set up their base there.

According to police sources, there were intelligence reports that the group planned to use the location as their base from where they would lunch massive protest and ground activities in the state.

But security operatives were swiftly deployed and the camp was dismantled.

Confirming the incident, spokesman for the command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin said that 10 of the suspects were arrested and we’re currently being interrogated.

He said the command would not condone any form of lawlessness anywhere in the state.

Warning against any form of violence, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said it was clear that miscreants with criminal agenda were those behind the looting and other crimes being committed ij the guise of protest against fuel and naira scarcity.

He said: “We condemn the violent protests we have recorded so far. It’s crystal clear that these were orchestrated by hoodlums who had their targets of robbing banks’ ATM, looting shopping malls, shops, stealing from persons, etc, not peaceful protest as claimed.

“How does protest against fuel and naira scarcity affect innocent drivers, sellers, market women, and even the police, who were victims of attacks from the so-called “peaceful” protesters? In ibadan, they went to set ablaze a station, for what?

“Anyway, we will not allow any lawlessness or breakdown of law and order in any part of the country. No way. So, we want to urge well-meaning Nigerians to be patient, law abiding, and maintain decorum in whatever they do so that the long arm of the won’t catch them. Thanks.”