The people of Ogidi in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State woke up to the sad news of the death of Chief Ojo Olayinka, the Elepe of Ohi-Ogidi, who was suspected to have been killed on his farm and whose body was allegedly set on fire by Fulani herders.
OsunDailyNG learnt that Chief Olayinka, who went to his farm on Tuesday morning, did not return home in the evening, and his family members who set out to search for him in the early hours of Wednesday found his burnt body on his farm.
According to sources, there was evidence of cows entering his farm and eating his crops.
A family member of the deceased, who never wanted his name to be mentioned, told OsunDailyNG: “A situation like this has become recurrent in Ogidi community. Some years back, Fulani herders intruded on farmlands, their animals ate crops, and they killed the farm owners. It has become a worrying situation as it is overtly prevailing around Okunland, alongside the ongoing kidnapping for ransom that is also rampant.”
The source further said: “The Fulani have surrounded the entire Okunland, noting that their activities have become eminent as they now live among the people. The land allocated to them by the Omo’de family along Kabba-Iyara-Omue Road, in Iyara, where they now have a village that harbours them, is an adventure that has become a deadly nightmare for the indigenes and passersby.”
He appealed to the local government chairman to set up a security surveillance system and “act fast to nip the ugly trend in the bud before the people are all consumed.”
When contacted, the Kogi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, promised to revert as soon as he had detailed information about the sad incident.
