Farmer kills herdsman for entering farmland

A 45-year-old farmer in Ogun State, Kolese Womiloju has been arrested by men of Ogun State Police Command for killing a Fulani herdsman, Abubakar Sidi Usman for entering his farmland.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi today told The Nigerian Voice that the farmer in connivance with his 25-year-old son Taiwo Womiloju murdered the 32-year-old herdsman on the 22nd of April 2020.

He said the suspects were arrested following a report by one Usman Bello who reported at Odeda divisional headquarters that the deceased who was his younger brother has a cattle settlement at Gbagba Elewure village has gone missing.

The PPRO said "Upon his report, search party was organised for him. Later in the evening, the deceased corpse was found in an abandoned well in the nearby bush where he was dumped.

The DPO Odeda division, CSP Ajayi Williams led his detectives to the scene where the victim was seen with a deep matchet cut all over his body.

Having confirmed that the deceased was murdered in cold blood, the DPO and his men commenced an intelligence based investigation into the case which led to the arrest of a father and his son who also live in the same village with the victim.

"On interrogation, they both confessed to the killing of the deceased because they saw him grazing his cows around their farm".

They stated further that the deceased was warned to take his cattle away from the area and when he refused, he was beaten with a charmed ring which made him to be unconscious after which he was matcheted to death. He was then dragged to an abandoned well about one kilometer to the place and dumped there

The commissioner of police in the state, CP Kenneth Ebrimson ordered that the suspects be transferred to homicide section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation and diligent prosecution.