Again, Herdsmen Kill Pregnant Woman In Ekiti …Fayose Battles To Calm Tension

Barely twenty four hours after Governor Ayo Fayose’s peace meeting with Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, farmers and local hunters in the state, suspected herdsmen invaded Orin-Ekiti yesterday, killing a pregnant woman and unleashing injuries on several others.
The meeting which was at the instance of Governor Fayose was conveyed in order to forestall a reprisal attack by Fulani herdsmen following the alleged killing of one of their own, Babuga Dengi, by a suspected Tiv man, whom, according to sources got angry when the dead herdsman invaded his farm with his cattle and destroyed his crops.
The deceased, a Tiv woman was hacked to death by those in the farm settlement located in Orin-Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti state, referred to as “Bororo herdsmen” at the town’s Farm Settlement in the early hours of yesterday
. An indigene of the town who is a former Chairman of Ido/Osi Local Government, Prince Sanmi Olubummo, who confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation , disclosed that another victim of the attack was receiving treatment at a hospital.
He said, “The incident happened inside the Orin Farm Settlement. Nobody knows what led to the crisis in the early hours of yesterday but our people said the Bororo herdsmen killed the pregnant woman.”
Olubummo told newsmen that policemen from Ido-Ekiti Divisional Headquarters visited the scene of the killing, saying the situation was calm. Meanwhile, the community has vowed to go ahead with a referendum on the choice of the next Olorin, the stool had been vacant for several years now.
The indigenes are expected to vote “YES” or “NO” on the number of ruling houses in the community. One of the elders of the town, the Onikare of Orin-Ekiti, High Chief Bamidele Fasuyi, said the referendum will go ahead as planned on Saturday despite the killing incident.
But the Regent and the Olorin-in-Council has said it would hold a referendum on Saturday to resolve controversies surrounding the royal stool.
There are three Ruling Houses in the town: Famokiti, Olubummo and Idimehinsuwon. But there is a controversy over the acceptance of Idimehinsuwon as one of the ruling houses.
A statement signed on behalf of the Olorin-in-Council, by the Onikare, High Chief Fasuyi, urged the ruling houses to make their representatives available to witness the referendum.
“The referendum is aimed at the community’s populace who are the stakeholders on the issue of who rules them to publicly express their candid opinions on the matter of who is entitled to rule over them.
“This referendum is at the interest of the whole Orin-Ekiti community,” the statement said.
Meanwhile,the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose is now battling to douse tension created by the reported killing of a herdsman in Oke Ako-Irele, Ekiti State.
He confirmed the report of the killing of the herdsman in one of his tweets.
Pleading for understanding and peace, he tweeted: “I want peace in my state and everybody living here is from Ekiti whether you are Fulani, Tiv, Yoruba or anybody.
“Cow matter can’t cause problem between us. Oke Ako-Irele issue should not be allowed to fester. Cooperate with us and whoever kills would be fished out.’’
The governor confirmed holding an emergency meeting with all stakeholders to prevent a reprisal.
“To prevent reoccurrence, I met with representatives of Fulani herdsmen under the aegis of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, farmers, local hunters, security agencies and the Tiv community in the state,’’ he said in another tweet.
“On Monday night, I was told about the killing of one Fulani man in Oke Ako. They claimed it was a Tiv man that killed the Fulani man.
“I want the killer arrested and prosecuted. I won’t accept killing of anyone here in Ekiti.Be you Yoruba,Fulani, Tiv or Igbo, I must protect your life,’’ he tweeted.
The victim, Mr. Babuga Dengi, was reportedly killed, last Monday in Oke Ako in Ikole Local Government Area of the state.
Amid concerns about a reprisal attack, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, summoned a late night meeting, last Tuesday, to forestall a degeneration of the situation.
He told a meeting of the Fulani and the Benue communities, last Wednesday, in Ado-Ekiti that no bloodshed should be entertained as the killer of the herdsman would be fished out and punished.
Fayose had recently raised the alarm of an impending invasion of his state by Fulani herdsmen, and urged local hunters to rise up to protect the people.
He has also been outspoken in condemning the killings in Benue State by the herdsmen.
Also, a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the killing of an 8-month pregnant woman by men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in Ekiti State.
Our correspondent had earlier yesterday reported that herdsmen attacked Orin community in Ekiti in the early hours of yesterday killing a pregnant woman
In a post he shared on his twitter handles, Fani-Kayode, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, wrote, “An 8 month pregnant woman and her unborn baby were slaughtered by Fulani terrorists in Ekiti State yesterday.
“They hacked open her stomach and cut her and baby to pieces. Can anything be more reprehensible and evil than that? “O Lord, fight against those who fight against us.”