Some Fulani herdsmen reportedly invaded the farm of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Olu Falae and attacked some policemen invited to the farm in Kajola Village, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State last Thursday.
The elder statesman was abducted in September 2015 by the herdsmen on the farm but was released after four days after collecting a sum of N5million and the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari
It was gathered that Falae invited the police to the farm following the incessant invasion and destruction of the farm produce by the herds. The policemen were said to have been deployed in the farm on the orders of the commissioner of police in the state, Mrs. Hilda Harrison.
On getting to the farm, some herdsmen, numbering 10 allegedly attacked and opened fire on the policemen but no death was recorded in the attack.
It was gathered that the herdsmen engaged the policemen in a gun duel for some hours. They also insisted that they would not leave the farm because their cows grazed on it.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr. Femi Joseph said the policemen succeeded in flushing out the herdsmen from the farm.
Joseph, who said there was no arrest made, noted that the command had begun an investigation into the latest attack on the farm of a former Minister of Finance.
In his reaction, Falae, who is a National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party confirmed that he invited the police over the activities of the herdsmen.
He said, ” I invited the police to my farm because the herdsmen have been coming to the farm everyday for several weeks and they are no longer hiding. They come into the farm around 5am till 9am, destroy the farm, so I went to the police for protection and some policemen were sent to the farm.
“They got to the farm and met three separate herds feeding fat on my farm when the police approached them, they fired at the policemen.”
Source:punch
