Police arrest three herdsmen for killing farmer in Ogun

The Ogun State police command yesterday said it has apprehended three herdsmen for allegedly killing a 40-year-old farmer, Rafiu Sowemimo in Adao village, Alabata area of Odeda local government area of the state.

A statement by the command’s spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in Abeokuta gave the names of the suspects as Muhammed Adamu, Saliu Ismail, and Saliu Adamu. The arrest of the suspects, Oyeyemi said followed a distress call by the villagers to the police.

According to him, the villagers reported that some herdsmen while grazing their cattle entered the farm of Sowemimo and destroyed some of his crops. The deceased accosted the herders and challenged them to know the reason behind their destructive action.

Sowemimo’s action, Oyeyemi said, led to an altercation between him and the herders, consequent upon which the herdsmen stabbed him to death.

“The Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of operations and that of State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department to move into the scene and ensure that the culprits were brought to book,” Oyeyemi disclosed.

He added: “In compliance with the Commissioner’s directive, the officers led other policemen to the scene and with information from the villagers, they were able to arrest the three herders who perpetrated the heinous crime.”