Palpable tension gripped residents of Orin-Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Saturday following the murder of a hunter by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the town.
The hunter, Emmanuel Ilori was said to have been killed at midnight while hunting for animals with some of his colleagues.
This gory incident occurred barely 48hrs after a female undergraduate identified as Maria was killed in her father’s farm in Ise-Ekiti by unknown gunmen.
Mr. Adeniyi Ajayi, a hunter who escaped during the incident alleged that Ilori was killed by Fulani herdsmen.
Ajayi said: “We met the herdsmen numbering about thirty in the abandoned piggery farm in the town.
“And we attempted to inquire about what they were doing in the farm. Suddenly, they brought out rifles shooting in our direction. Thus, resulting in the death of Mr. Ilori”.
The lucky hunter claimed that the herdsmen were kidnappers using the forest as hideout to perpetrate heinous acts.
It was gathered that the corpse of the hunter has been taken away by security officers for further investigation.
The residents of the community dropped out in large numbers to stage a protest over the incident.
They barricaded the major roads and made burn fire to express their displeasure over the killing.
Addressing journalists during the protest, High Chief Francis Falua and Chairman of Rice Farmers in Ekiti State, Mr Kolawole Rotimi berated the uncontrollable attacks by the Fulani herdsmen in the community.
They disclosed that few months back the ‘evil genius’ herdsmen allegedly killed a pregnant woman and her unborn baby.
They, however, appealed to Governor Kayode Fayemi to take proactive steps to curtail the lingering herdsmen menace in the State.
When contacted, the Ekiti Police Command Spokesman, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu confirmed the incident, saying they have placed a watertight security architecture to comb the forest and arrest the perpetrators.
