Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have killed a member of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in Ondo State, identified as Adejuyigbe Daniel.
Daniel was reportedly killed in Iju community, Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
The deceased was part of the search team organised to secure the release of a farmer, Solomon Akinmeji, who was kidnapped at Okeji farm settlement last Saturday.
Youths of the town and members of the OPC had formed a search party to secure the release of the farmer but Adejuyigbe went missing during the search.
Speaking on the incident, the youth leader in the town, Ogundeji Ayodeji, stated that it occurred on Saturday when Akinmeji went to his farm and was allegedly abducted by some Fulani herdsmen while some other men with him escaped with bruises.
“We discovered that one of us was missing on Tuesday and we returned to the forest only to find Adejuyigbe’s dead body in a tent erected by the criminals, blindfolded and with his legs and hands tied,” he narrated.
The remains of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue while the whereabouts of the abducted farmer are unknown.
Ayodeji lamented the continued destruction of farms in the area and the abduction of farmers and residents of the community.
Spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Tee Leo Ikoro, confirmed the incident.
He said investigation had commenced into the matter and that some detectives from the state had been drafted to comb the forest.
The incident happened two weeks after the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, ordered herdsmen to vacate the state’s forest reserves within seven days and banned night and underage grazing and the movement of cattle on the highways and within cities in the state.
Source, Saharareporters
