Suspected herdsmen have killed five persons at Ajegunle-Powerline community, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The victims were said to be labourers hired from Plateau and Kaduna States.
A farmer in the community, Akin Olowolafe, said the attack took place on Tuesday around 3pm.
He said: “These herdsmen killed five of our labourers. We have reported them to the state government and even to the security agencies but no positive actions were taken from these security agencies to stop the herdsmen activities on our farmlands.
“They entered the farmlands on Tuesday as we are working and they started shooting sporadically on the air and killed five people during the attacks.”
He said activities of herdsmen and armed robbery have made life unbearable for them.
Olowolafe claimed that many farmers have fled their farms for fear of being killed due to incessant destruction of their crops.
A labourer Fidelis Daniel said, “They (herdsmen) came around 3pm on Tuesday to destroy our farms and we have warned them not to come to our farmlands again but they didn’t hear, and when they came they just started shooting and killed five. of our people. We took then to the mortuary.
“I was inside the farm too when the incident happened, I just heard the sound of guns, and I immediately ran to the house. It was even God that saved me too they would have killed me.
“They suddenly came with weapons to destroy our crops and killed five people. Three people from Plateau State and two from Kaduna State.”
Daniel, who also called on the Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, the Commander of the State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps), Adetunji Adeleye and others relevant security agencies to take proactive security measures that will put an end to the daily embarrassment and attacks, lamented the worrisome as it is negatively affecting the morale of the farmers.
It was men of the Hunters and Vigilantes Association in Akure North Local Government Area of the state that reportedly took bodies of the slain labourers to the mortuary.
Spokesman for the Ondo State Police Command,Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, who confirmed the incident, said: “There was an attack on the community, and police is still investigating. But I cannot confirm the number of people that were killed.”
