There was tension in Ajowa Akoko, Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Sunday, as the residents rejected about 200 Fulani herdsmen, who wanted to settle in the community.
A source in the community said the herdsmen were brought to the community in trucks in the evening, but were quickly rejected by the residents of the town.
Some weapons were said to have been found in the possession of the herdsmen.
The source stated, “The residents alleged that the unwanted visitors were brought to the community without informing them, while some of the herdsmen had weapons in their luggage.
“The youth protested and did not allow them to disembark from the vehicles; it took the intervention of the security agents before the youth of the town could be calmed.”
Commenting on the development, the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Clement Jimoh, said the coming into the community of such a large number of herdsmen was an embarrassment to the residents.
The monarch confirmed that he, the elders and security agents prevailed on the youth not to take the law into their own hands.
The Oluro of Uro Ajowa, Oba Timothy Ipinmoroti, said Ajowa Akoko remained one of the most hospitable communities in Yorubaland, but “the way these herdsmen came was suspicious and calls for caution.”
The Chairman of the Ajowa Akoko community, Mr Bakare Ajayi, stated that the town was a gateway to other parts of the country.
“Besides, our people have been battling with some herdsmen on their farms, who usually allow their cows to eat up their crops; and this is in addition to the security challenges and kidnappings in the area,” he stated.
He also said the residents needed to be security conscious as they saw weapons like axes, cutlasses and swords in the luggage of the herdsmen.
One of the herdsmen, Issa Ahmed, alleged that some indigenes of the town collected money from them to allow them to settle in the town.
In his reaction, the Police Area Commander for Ikare Akoko, Mr Razak Rauf, confirmed the incident, adding that police were still investigating the matter.
