Suspected herdsmen kill hunter in Ekiti, community protests

A hunter, Emmanuel Ilori has been allegedly shot dead by suspected herdsmen in Ekiti State on Friday night.

Ilori was reportedly killed at a farm in Orin Ekiti in the Ido/Osi Council area of Ekiti State.

He was said to be hunting for animals alongside his colleagues in the bush when the incident happened around midnight on Friday.

One of his colleagues who witnessed the incident, Adeniyi Ajayi, said that the hunters met the herdsmen, who he said numbered about 30 at an abandoned piggery farm in the town.

“When we attempted to inquire what they were doing on the farm, the herdsmen opened fire on us, thus resulting in the death of Ilori.

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“The herdsmen were kidnappers using the forest as a hideout,” he alleged, adding that the corpse of the hunter had been taken away by security officers for further investigation.

However, a protest broke out in the Orin Ekiti community on Saturday as news of the killing spread in town.

The protesters, who made bonfires in parts of the town, urged Ekiti State government to move swiftly to put the killer herdsmen under check and end their menace.

High Chief Francis Falua, who alleged that a pregnant woman was also killed by same herdsmen last year, urged Governor Kayode Fayemi “to wade into the matter before it gets out of hands. The herdsmen have been attacking farmers and feeding their cattle with our people’s farm produce.”

The Police Public Relations Officer for Ekiti State Command, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, who confirmed the incident said, “a manhunt has been launched to arrest the perpetrators.”