Suspected Herders Kill Driver, Machete 77-year-old Farmer In Ondo Communities

Suspected herdsmen went on a rampage, weekend, in two Ondo communities, Ondo State, killing a commercial driver, identified as Toyin Mala and macheting a 77-year-old farmer, Benjamin Babatunde.

Vanguard gathered that the driver was shot dead at Ajowa community in Akoko North West area of the state while returning from Abuja.

A source said: “Toyin was from Abuja and on getting to Ago Jinadu he met the bandits and in an attempt to reverse, he was gunned down, while two passengers escaped and the whereabouts of others are unknown.”

The killing of the driver was confirmed by the Divisional Police Officer of Okeagbe-Akoko, Paulinus Onnah.

Onnah said security agents who visited the scene of the incident have evacuated the corpse.

The septuagenarian farmer was attacked on his farm in Ikakumo, a border town in Akoko North-East council area of the state.

Vanguard gathered that the 77-year-old farmer was macheted by the herdsmen, who invaded his farm, demanding money. He was left to bleed to death by his attackers.
A community leader in Northern senatorial district told Vanguard: “Within a month this year, two incidents of herders-farmers bloody clashes had happened in the agrarian community of Ikakumo, a border town in Akoko North East Local Government Area of Ondo State.

“The latest is Mr Benjamin Babatunde, a 77-year-old farmer, who was badly macheted by bandits in Ikakumo Akoko.

“The victim was on his farm when the bandits approached, demanding money and the farmer said he had no money on the farm, the next thing was that they macheted him with their daggers. They left him in the pool of his blood thinking he would die.”

Contacted, the Police Area Commander, Muri Agbola, confirmed the case, saying investigation was on to unravel and arrest the bandits.