Residents of Oke Ako, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, yesterday started fleeing the community in the aftermath of a killing Friday of one of its residents, named Lekan Arosanyin, by persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.
The herdsmen are said to have attacked the community at about 8 pm on the day. The residents, who are reportedly moving into neighbouring Irele, Ipao and Ikole Township, the headquarters of the council area, said they feared the attackers might return to unleash more terror.
Some are even packing their belongings because of the fear that they could stage more ferocious attacks. “We have been cohabiting peacefully with Fulani herdsmen for long. We didn’t know when things went awry.
The security agencies must rise to the occasion. This is a serious threat to Ekiti,” he warned. The Deputy Governor, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, on his visit to the town yesterday, said the state government would institute all measures to forestall a recurrence of the ugly incident.
“We won’t allow strangers to destroy our lives and properties at will. This is a sad development that we must tackle to ensure justice and peace reign in the state,” he said.
According to eye witnesses, residents, who were caught unawares, fled for their lives, but Arosanyin was allegedly hit by one of the several shots fired by the invaders, killing him instantly.
Four others who sustained injuries were said to be receiving treatment at a private hospital in Ado-Ekiti, while Ibiteye Olomi, also a victim, was said to be receiving treatment in a hospital in Ikole-Ekiti. But another witness, Adebayo Ajayi, saw the incident as a reprisal attack, noting the herdsmen had previously had issues with villagers concerning their grazing activities in the community.
He said the villagers had been voicing their worries regarding the use of their farmlands for grazing by the herdsmen, a situation which did not find favour with the herdsmen.
The Divisional Police Officer, who also spoke by telephone, confirmed the incident noting that he could not ascertain whether the mayhem was foisted by armed robbers or Fulani herdsmen.
Meanwhile, the residents of the town have blamed the police for what happened insisting that they refused to act on time when they were informed about the attack. One of them, Muyiwa Olukosi, whose wife sustained machete cuts, told reporters the case was reported to police in the area on time but no response came until it was too late.
His words: “We reported the matter immediately the Fulani people came but the police surprisingly said we should bring N12,000 to buy fuel before they could come because their vehicle had no fuel.”
