Some farmers have allegedly murdered a herdsman, identified as Umaru Aliyu, in the Imeko area of Ogun State.
The Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident on Monday morning, said the four farmers also dismembered the body of the herder for ritual purposes.
The four were arrested by the police at Ijagunre village, Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Oyeyemi identified the suspects as: Akinyele Adebayo, Gbalo Idosu, Abiala Segun and Kareem Fagbemi Lana.
He said they were arrested following a report lodged by one Umaru Jakake, who told the police that while he and his brother, Aliyu were grazing their cattle at the said Ijagunre village, they were accosted by one Ojugbele, who warned them not to take their cattle near his farm.
Oyeyemi quoted the complainant as saying that he and the deceased obeyed the warning and took their cattle to the other side of the bush for grazing.
However, Ojugbele was said to have later called two other men, who he said started chasing them about in the bush.
The complainant explained that he managed to escape, but the whereabouts of Aliyu became known since then.
Following the report, the case which was incidented at the Imeko divisional headquarters, was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Departments in Eleweran, Abeokuta, for discreet investigation, as ordered by the Commissioner of Police.
Oyeyemi said the case was assigned to the SP Kehinde Beyioku-led homicide section, whose investigation led to the arrest of Kareem Fagbemi Lana.
Lana had confessed to the police that it was Ojugbele who called to inform him of the presence of herdsmen near their farms, “and that he should come and join him to chase them away.”
He reportedly confessed further that Ojugbele also called Abiala Segun, who came with his dane gun and the three of them started chasing the herdsmen.
”While chasing them, Kareem Fagbemi Lana collected the dane gun and shot one of the herdsmen Umaru Aliyu to death.
“After killing him, they invited Akinyele Adebayo whose farm is nearby and informed him of the incident.
“It was Akinyele Adebayo who helped them to dismember the body after telling them that he needs the head of the deceased for certain ritual and they all agreed with him to take it,” Oyeyemi stated.
He added that the suspects later took the remaining parts of the body to Tamake town and buried same in front of Gbalo Idosu’s house.
”The confession of Kareem Fagbemi Lana led to the arrest of three others, while Ojugbele is still on the run,” he said, disclosing that the deceased’s head and other body parts were recovered by the policemen.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Olanrewaju Oladimeji, has ordered that the fleeing Ojugbele be brought to book, directing that the arrested suspects be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.
