Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Wednesday condemned the killing of a farmer in the state by armed men suspected to be herdsmen.
The Governor said the Anti-open Grazing Law in the state will be reviewed and strengthened to checkmate further attacks and invasion by herdsmen.
He advised the residents affected by the attack against reprisals and extrajudicial reactions.
A 32-year-old farmer, Tunde Olayemi, was killed recently in Ipao, Ikole Local Government Area of the state by suspected herdsmen.
Governor Fayose during his visit to the relatives of the deceased promised to ensure the amendment of the state anti-grazing law to further check the menace.
He condemned the shooting of the deceased on his way home from his cassava farm as one incident too many.
The Governor promised to set up a committee to unravel the puzzling development adding that he would make compensations as necessary.
”We will not tolerate the killing of anyone no matter the tribe, and none of our people should also kill cows out of provocation. Do not take laws into your hands,” Fayose warned.
A survivor of the attack, Bunmi Ajayi said he was with Olayemi when he was coming from the farm when the gunmen suddenly ambushed them.
He explained that they shot and killed Tunde in the process and mutilated his hand afterwards.
“We were coming from the farm on Sunday evening when we suddenly sighted the three suspected killer herdsmen.
They gave us a hot chase, I was lucky to escape with minor injuries but they caught up with Tunde and killed him” Bunmi lamented.
Military men, police officers, men of the Security and Civil Defence Corps and local hunters were therefore provided to give the people a sense of security.
The Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Abdullahi Chafe, said no arrest had been made but assured that his men would address the fears of the people.
In the meantime, some suspected herdsmen have invaded a farmland belonging to the College of Education Ikere- Ekiti destroying property worth millions of naira.
The Provost of the College, Professor Mojisola Oyarekua, said the herdsmen set fire on the College plantation destroying parts of the College Cash and Arable crops.
She said the Cassava plantation that was not affected by the inferno was consumed by cattle under the supervision of the herdsmen.
Oyarekua decried the increase in the criminal activities of the herdsmen within the College Community and its environs which she said may snowball into a precarious situation and endanger students and staff working on the farm.
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