APC bemoans killings in Ekiti, charges Fayose on security  

As Govt, Cattle Dealers Crack Down On Herdsmen
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has lamented the spate of suspected assassinations in the state in the last four days, saying the development was not unconnected with lax security measures short of political will to protect residents from avoidable deaths.

Within the last four days, three men, including a police officer, had lost their lives to circumstances believed to be assassinations.

A Superintendent of Police (SP), Idowu Taiwo, was last Sunday killed and abandoned in his car handcuffed after three gunmen abducted him at a relaxation joint along Ikere-Ado road in the state capital.

On Monday, Kunle Enisan, an engineer, was also abducted on his way home along Afao-Ado road, Ado-Ekiti. His dead body was found Tuesday morning, sparking anger and outrage that shook the state capital.

Earlier on Saturday, Wale Adeniyi, a graduate entrepreneur in Ikere-Ekiti, was found dead along Iju-Ikere road after an encounter with gunmen.

But reacting in a statement in Ado-Ekiti by Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party lamented the sudden upsurge in the murder of residents, blaming lack of adequate security measures for the sad incidents.

He said: “It is regrettable that while Ekiti people thought that the era of assassinations was over, a trend never witnessed in the crime record of the state suddenly emerged in the last four days.

“Within three days, three people were murdered by assailants without any trace of their movements or suspicion of their motives for carrying out such murderous activities and it is regrettable that up till now, security agencies don’t seem to have any clue to the causes of the incidents.”

Meanwhile, security agencies, the state government and the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) have resolved to crack down on criminal elements within the ranks of herdsmen in the state.

This is just as the police have spread their dragnet to arrest a herdsman, simply identified as Dogo, who has been indicted of some criminal acts in the Northern part of Ekiti State.

The resolution followed a series of meetings held by the stakeholders at the Government House, Ado-Ekiti.

The meeting was as a result of a resurgence in criminal activities by people suspected to be unidentified herdsmen in Irele, Oke Ako, Ikole, Ijan, Ikere and Ise areas of the state.

In a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, yesterday, the governor reiterated the resolve of his administration not to allow anybody or group to foment violence or engage in criminal act under the guise of breeding cattle.

One after the other, community leaders from Irele, Ijan and Ikole, recounted their terrible ordeals in the hands of suspected herdsmen.

They blamed the development on some unregistered and unidentifiable herdsmen coming to the state from nearby states.
It was also gathered that after wreaking havoc on innocent people, the herdsmen do find a hiding place in the forest reserve spanning Ijan, Ise and nearby Ondo State.

The leader of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in the South-West region, Alhaji Mohammed. Kabir, said it was unfortunate that some unscrupulous elements wanted to breach the existing cordial relationship between t‎he association and the state government which signed a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the Anti-Grazing Law in the state.

The leader of the farmers’ group in the South-West, Mr. Segun Dasaolu, commended the proactive nature of Fayose and warned that as the dry season bites harder, more migrant herdsmen would be moving down South.