Residents of several villages in Ondo State have been forced to flee their homes due to relentless attacks by what locals describe as herdsmen-cum-bandits.
The ongoing assaults, characterized by kidnappings, killings, and disruptions to daily life, have plunged the affected communities into fear and uncertainty.
Reports indicate a grim situation, with over 4,000 farmers reportedly killed in the southwestern part of Nigeria between 2015 and the present.
According to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, Nigeria has lost at least 8,343 individuals to conflicts between farmers and herders since 2005.
In response to escalating invasions by herdsmen in the Southwest region, governors from the six southwest states collaborated with traditional rulers to establish the Western Nigeria Security Network, known as ‘Amotekun’, on January 9, 2020.
Despite state support, the regional security outfit has struggled to counter the persistent attacks by the herders effectively.
Residents have expressed doubts about the capacity of the Amotekun corps to regain control over areas dominated by herders.
One resident, Tinu, highlighted the daunting challenges of travelling along specific routes due to prevalent insecurity.
She mentioned instances where communities had been displaced, citing Ifon as an epicentre of herdsmen activities that have overwhelmed the Amotekun security presence.
“I live after Arigidi Akoko but I often commute on the road that leads to Ifon. I have a friend I visit regularly. That road is now lonely, Amotekun men have practically been overpowered in that place because it’s like the epicentre of herdsmen. They sacked an entire community,” she told Punch.
Local leaders have admitted to augmenting Amotekun’s efforts with additional security personnel but acknowledged the difficulty in repelling the herdsmen.
A man named Joe and a graduate of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, said Amotekun is powerless in certain parts of the state, and his parents had to abandon their home because of the security crisis in their area.
“Which Amotekun? Bandits are killing people in Ose LG every day. Ifon, Okeluse, Molege, Arimogijaa communities are no-go areas till today. We even heard Amotekun were told to stop fighting the bandits when they lost like 5 of their officers in that environment. My parents had to leave the house to go and stay with my brother who lives in Ondo town,” he said.
Farmers have also borne the brunt of these attacks, with accounts of assaults, destruction of farmlands, and threats to their lives.
Femi Adeyele, a farmer in Ifedore Local Government Area, narrated a harrowing experience where herdsmen not only destroyed his cassava farm but also physically assaulted him when he confronted them.
His words: “I met them (herdsmen) on my 50 hectares farm that had cassava planted on it. I was somewhere watching and I saw as they uprooted my cassava to feed their cows.
“This angered me, and I came out of where I was and ordered them to leave my farm, but instead, it seemed like they spoke some language to their cows, and they surrounded me. As I tried to run, I put the phone to my ears, feigning a call to Amotekun for help, but they struck me with a cutlass, and I began to bleed.”
Another farmer, Yele Adaranijo, said the herdsmen usually lay ambush for farmers before they strike.
“They came to my farm and destroyed the corn we planted. They tried attacking my farmer colleagues and me, but we begged them not to hurt us. We also begged them not to destroy our crops because that was our only means of livelihood. They’re always threatening us here; we are tired of this whole thing,” he said.
My Yoruba brothers, please the president is a Yoruba man, this thing should not be happening under his watch. The herdsmen had audacity so to say under the past administration,should they still have the same now? The Yoruba land/people are too big for these people. Recruit more men,I think that will do.