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Amotekun Calls For Peace As Cows Allegedly Destroy N265m Crops In Ondo

Published

2 weeks ago

January 23, 2025

Amotekun Calls For Peace As Cows Allegedly Destroy N265m Crops In Ondo

Crisis is brewing between herders and farmers in Igbara-Oke, Ifedore Local Council Area of Ondo State over the alleged destruction of crops worth N265 million by cows on the farmland managed by the Owena Dam Farmers Association.

With tension rising over the development, the aggrieved farmers had accused the herders of deliberately allowing their cattle to graze indiscriminately on farmland, which resulted in the purported destruction of 25 percent of the farmlands.

Following the development, the Amotekun Corps in the state quickly waded in, summoning the herders and farmers to the headquarters of the corps in the state.

While stressing the importance of peaceful coexistence during the meeting, the Commander of Amotekun in the state, Adetunji Adeleye reaffirmed the government’s directive to enforce the anti-open grazing law.

Adeleye, who refuted accusations that Amotekun had unjustly targeted herders, explained that measures employed by the corps, including the detention of herders and their cattle, were lawful and intended to facilitate dialogue between the parties involved.

“Our agency is tasked with ensuring compliance with government policies, particularly concerning open grazing.

“We operate within the law and do not tolerate false narratives aimed at inciting conflict. We’ve sought court orders to detain herders and cattle temporarily while discussions are ongoing. Our priority is to restore normalcy.

“I’ve equally told the farmers they must not attack the cows, so that at least let everybody live within the ambit of what he is doing. So the meeting we held here across the board is aimed at bringing a solution.”

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Hausa Matters, Gonia Garuba, who appealed to both parties to allow peace to reign, said, “Amotekun gave us security to the location where we saw heavy destruction of farm land that is not palatable to anyone. We have been ensuring there is peace because the government wants peace to reign.”

The Vice Chairman of the Owena Dam Farmers Association, Daudu Igbekele, lamented the scale of the destruction and its impact on farmers’ livelihoods.

“The land surrounding the Owena multipurpose dam is cultivated by over 122 clusters of farmers, each comprising 20–30 sub-farmers. The damages are immense, with crops like cassava, maize, and vegetables destroyed.”

Igbekele also described violent confrontations that left three farmers hospitalised after they tried to prevent herders from grazing on their farmland.

However, Miyetti Allah denied allegations of deliberate crop destruction, stressing that their cattle had mistakenly strayed onto the farmland.

According to the herders, the farmers were fabricating incidents to justify punitive measures against herdsmen by Amotekun.