The Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has advised the people of the state not to engage in reprisal attacks following herdsmen attacks in some parts of the state. Fayose gave the warning on Tuesday when he visited Ipao Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area where a 32-year-old farmer, Tunde Olayemi, was killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Olayemi was returning from the farm with a colleague, Bunmi Ajayi, when he was allegedly attacked by three armed Fulani herdsmen. The crowd that gathered to welcome the governor were displaying placards to expressed their displeasure over the killing of the farmer. Fayose commended the security agencies for their prompt response to distress calls.
In a meeting with traditional heads, the governor promised to set up a committee to investigate the killings. He also promised to compensate the family of the deceased and affected Fulani herdsmen who lost their cattle. The governor appealed to the people of Ipao and their leaders to avoid any form of reprisal.“I appeal to you to ensure you live peacefully with the Fulani herdsmen in our community. We want a peaceful situation and won’t allow any reprisal.
“We will investigate and get to the root cause of this sad development and particularly why this community has become a flashpoint so we can find a lasting solution to it.“The security operatives have been deployed in your town and would secure the place. As soon as we heard of it, we mobilised security agencies and they were on ground by 9pm.”
