Unknown assailants have killed a female farmer, Mrs Rabiat Atere, on her farm in Oka-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Council Area of Ondo State.
A search party discovered the lifeless body of the deceased after she failed to return home after working on the farm.
While stating that the lifeless body of the deceased was already deposited in a mortuary in Iwaro-Oka, a source in the community, who craved anonymity, stressed that the incident had created tension in the community.
Meanwhile, youths under the aegis of the Akoko Youth Forum (AYF), who condemned the brutal killing of the farmer, alleged that suspected herders carried out the act.
In a statement, the group’s National President of AYF, Ibukun-Oluwa Akeju, described the deceased as a peaceful farmer.
He said, “This heinous act, allegedly carried out by suspected Fulani assailants, is a direct attack on the peace and safety of our people, a threat we can no longer tolerate,” the statement read.
Akeju decried the lack of immediate security response in the aftermath of the murder, noting that since the evacuation of the victim’s body by the police, no security presence had been deployed in the area.
“It is deeply troubling that since the incident occurred and the Nigeria Police evacuated her body, no form of security presence has been deployed in the community. Our people are now left to live in fear, without assurance of protection or justice,” he said.
Akeju called on security agencies, traditional rulers, and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted and that peace and security are restored to the affected communities.
“Concrete measures must be taken to prevent future occurrences. The Akoko Youth Forum will not stand idle while our people are subjected to fear, violence, and bloodshed. We demand immediate intervention, justice for the victim, and firm security action from the authorities,” he said.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Olayinka Ayanlade, who confirmed the incident, stated that an investigation had begun to unravel those behind the killing.
