Renewed attacks: Ondo cautions farmers against self-help

Ondo State residents, especially farmers, have been told to report any invasion of farmlands and unauthorised grazing to the police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, South West Security Network (Amotekun) and other security agencies rather than resorting to self-help.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and orientation, Mr Donald Ojogo, on Wednesday said the directive was the outcome of the state security council meeting following renewed hostilities between farmers and herders which had resulted in casualties in some boundary towns between Ondo and Edo states.

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The statement said, “Undoubtedly, the latest killings are barbaric and condemnable even as efforts have been deepened to apprehend the culprits through inter-state co-operation and synergy.

“Government, however, believes strongly that such situations are avoidable if security agencies are always afforded the opportunity to intervene before the escalation of violence.

“Residents are, therefore, urged to abide by this directive and trust in the capacity of our security agencies to enforce to the fullest, provisions of the Anti-open Grazing Law that is in operation in the state.

‘Henceforth, any confirmed report of self-help that impairs the operations of security agencies shall be viewed as unhelpful to government’s efforts at any given instance.”