Tragedy As Suspected Herders Kill, Burnt Farmer In Kogi

The residents of Ogidi in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State awoke to the tragic news of the death of Chief Ojo Olayinka, the Elepe of Ohi-Ogidi, who was suspected of being assassinated and allegedly set on fire by Fulani herdsmen on his farmland.

CityMirrorNews gathered that Chief Olayinka went to his farm on Tuesday morning and did not return home in the evening, this development led his family members to trail him and to their surprise, they discovered his burnt remains on his farm in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to an eyewitness who did not want their name in print, cows had entered his land and eaten his produce leading to his tragic death.

An anonymous family member of the deceased said, “A situation like this has become recurrent in the Ogidi community. Some years back, Fulani herders intruded on farmlands, their animals ate crops, and they killed the farm owners.

‘It has become a worrying situation as it is overtly prevailing around Okunland, alongside the ongoing kidnapping for ransom that is also rampant.”

The source further said: “The Fulani have surrounded the entire Okunland, noting that their activities have become eminent as they now live among the people.

“The land allocated to them by the Omo’de family along Kabba-Iyara-Omue Road, in Iyara, where they now have a village that harbours them, is an adventure that has become a deadly nightmare for the indigenes and passersby.”

He urged the local government chairman to establish a security surveillance system and “act fast to nip the ugly trend in the bud before the people are all consumed.”

When reached, the Kogi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, promised to respond as soon as he received more information on the tragic incident.