Herders’ attacks: Tension in Ondo communities as Amotekun plans counter-operations

In the early hours of Saturday, March 8, 2025, the peaceful communities of Ademekun, Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, and Alajido in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State were plunged into a nightmare.

What began as a typical night of rest for farmers and their families turned into a bloodbath as armed men, reported to be herdsmen, stormed the villages, unleashing terror and leaving at least 14 people dead.

The attack, which occurred around 2am, was swift and brutal.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that residents were jolted awake by the sound of sporadic gunfire and the agonising cries of neighbours.

By dawn, the communities were littered with corpses, burnt homes, and the shattered dreams of survivors.

A viral video captured the aftermath of the attack and showed the devastation in Aba Sunday Community.

Corpses of young men and women lay sprawled on the ground, some in their homes, others outside.

Houses were reduced to ashes, and the air was thick with grief and fear.

A voice in the video lamented in pidgin English, “This is what the Fulani did to our camp. The government is not doing anything to protect us. This happened at about 2am.”

The victims, mostly farmers from Taraba and Oyo states, had settled in the communities to cultivate crops and build a livelihood. But their dreams were cut short in the dead of night.

Sunday PUNCH learnt that nine people were killed in Aba Sunday, while the remaining victims were killed in other affected communities.

Some residents claimed that more than 20 people were killed altogether, while several others sustained varying degrees of injury.

Our correspondents learnt that some members of the affected communities were still missing after the attack.

The attack is believed to be a reprisal for the killing of over 100 cows belonging to herdsmen from neighboring Edo State.

A man, identified as Iron Body, who claimed to be working for the Ondo State Government, reportedly visited the communities days before the attack.

He was said to have promised to address the longstanding issue of herdsmen’s cows destroying farmlands.

The regent of Ademekun community, Princess Kemisola Adelowo, said 100 cows were killed by Iron Body and his gang, which led to the attack.

She also confirmed the killing of 14 people during the attack by the herdsmen, stating that the corpses had been deposited in a morgue in Okada town, Edo State.

She explained that the reason the corpses were taken to Okada town was due to the proximity of the communities to Edo State.

She said, “I came to Akure last Tuesday. I was told that someone called Iron Body and some boys came to the community on Thursday. He said he only came to seek our collaboration on how to prevent Fulani herdsmen and their cattle from destroying our farms.

“My people later told him to come and they would inform me when I return to the community. But it was not too long before the same Iron Body went to the next community and began to fire gunshots and killed about 100 cows. We became scared.

“At midnight on Saturday, Fulani herdsmen invaded the communities and began shooting and attacking everyone in retaliation. They thought we killed their cows. Most of those killed were from Taraba and Oyo states; they were farming in the communities. They didn’t spare anyone; they killed both old and young, and they also set buildings on fire.”

Adelowo, who claimed to be in her 13th year on the throne after the death of her father, said her community had been battling the farmers-herdsmen clash for the past six years.

She said the previous administration in the state took appropriate action which resulted in peace for the community until the recent time.

“The herdsmen came through the Edo-Ondo boundary to attack us. We were being rescued by Amotekun during the  (Rotimi) Akeredolu administration, and the perpetrators were arrested and paraded. Peace returned to our community from that time until this last week’s incident,” she added.

A survivor, Emmanuel Musa, said he escaped death by a whisker as he jumped out of his house through the window and ran into the bush after the attack started around 2am.

He appealed to the state government to send security men to the communities, saying the killer herdsmen could return to unleash terror again.

He stated, “It was the sound of sporadic gunshots that woke me up; I could hear people shouting. They were killing people house to house, burning down some houses. I had to jump through the window and flee into the bush to hide myself till dawn. It was when I returned to the camp the following morning that I saw dead bodies of our people who had been killed everywhere.”

A local group, the Ooye Development Initiatives, called on the state government to take urgent action to protect residents.

In a statement, the group’s president, Tokunbo Jegede, warned that the rising insecurity in Akure North and South could cripple the state’s economy.

“Our people are too vulnerable to these attacks. If this trend continues, the people may have to be their own government, and the implication is that we may land in a Hobbesian world where life is nasty, brutish, and short,” the statement read.

Gov demands arms for Amotekun

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, called on President Bola Tinubu to authorise Amotekun to be equipped with weapons comparable to those used by armed herders and bandits, in order to combat the growing insecurity in the region.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, who spoke for the governor, emphasised that the South-West Governors Forum, at its most recent meeting, showed commitment to enhancing security across the region.

“The governor firmly believes that our security forces at the local level need to be equipped with the same sophisticated weapons used by the bandits. This call remains consistent, and there has been no change in his stance,” Oyelade said.

The commissioner noted that the state government was prepared for the security challenges ahead.

Also, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, stressed the need for a proactive approach to insecurity.

On its part, the Ogun State Government on Friday said that it had intensified engagement with stakeholders across the local governments in the state.

Mr Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to Gov Dapo Abiodun, said, “Through these initiatives, Ogun State aims to forestall violence, protect lives, and ensure the safety of farmers and all residents.”

S’West Amotekun mobilise 

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Osun State Commandant of the Amotekun Corps, Adekunle Omoyele, said commanders of the security outfit across the South-West states met on Thursday in Ibadan to review the security situation in the region.

Omoyele said Amotekun deliberated on the plan to establish a central communication centre in the S’West for tracking criminals and reporting distress in any of the states.

He said, “We met on Thursday with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission, and the agenda was to improve welfare, logistics, and anything that will enhance the productivity of Amotekun.

“To improve the service of Amotekun, we discussed something that will unify us, like a communication centre that can connect Osun, Oyo, Ogun, and all the South-West states. This will function like a call centre equipped with CCTV, allowing us to monitor activities across the South-West. It will also serve as a tracking centre. If anybody escapes from Ekiti State, this system will enable us to locate them anywhere.

“What we think will be the major challenge is meeting with the governors and discussing it with them. DAWN is like a midwife and will be holding periodic meetings with the governors. Due to our responsibilities, we don’t have the time to schedule these meetings with the governors ourselves. They will give us feedback, and we will also meet periodically to discuss the issues.”