Uproar Over Killing of 70-yr Old Woman by Suspected Herdsmen in Okun Land

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The killing of a seventy-year-old woman and mother of five, by suspected herdsmen, in Jege, Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, on Wednesday, has sparked uproar within the community and its environs.

The people of the area said that the killing of the woman, Mrs Eunice Omoshola Komolafe, was the latest in a series of such dastardly acts against the people of the community by the suspected herdsmen.

The deceased according to a community leader and National President, Jege Development Association, Engr. (Dr) Folorunsho Foline Olayemi, was murdered while on her way to the farm.

The people of the community which shares boundary with Ekiti State, and serves as a junction town, are accusing both the state and federal government of turning blind eye to the issue of security, particularly in Jege.

They alleged that while areas Kabba have police and soldiers in places, they on the other hand look towards neighbouring Ekiti, when in distress.

They called on the Kogi State Commissioner for Police and State Commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to post personnel to man the two buildings constructed by the community for security, and government to consider military presence in the Yagba South East axis.

According to Olayemi: “This is not the first time such atrocity is being perpetrated. She (Mrs Komolafe) went to the farm to give food to people on her farm, and when they didn’t see her, they traced her and found her lifeless; butchered, along the way to the farm.

“There is a big (commercial) farm in the community, where these headsmen kidnapped some people and collected ransom before they were released. This was around October, last year. In November, I had a report of one of them (headsman), who robbed some Tiv people on the farm… they took them to the police, but within a Short time, the police released them.

“The other time, they entered into that farm, uprooted cassava for their cows to eat, and also destroyed the plantation, and now, the one of yesterday.

“There have been a series of farms’ destruction, and even the people cannot go to the farm again, because of the fear for their lives.

“The community tried to see to how we can improve the security; we built a place for the police and the civil defense, but for them to even send their personnel, is a problem. There is nobody to man these places.

“Even though the state and federal government are trying within the state, they have not extended the security presence to our axis.”

All efforts made to speak with the police proved abortive, as at the time of filing this report, as the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, could not be reached.

Credit: The Nation


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