Bandits believed to be Fulani herdsmen, have launched an attack on a convoy of the students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, in Ondo town of Ondo State.
The students were attacked on returning from the burial of Samuel Adesomoju known popularly as Sampraise their former Students’ Union Government President, which was held at his hometown of Okitipupa town.
It has been gathered that though the students were able to fight their way through, the bandits succeeded in kidnapping two travellers; a man and a woman in the students’ convoy.
Sampraise passed away on Saturday alongside at least 10 students when a fully loaded Dangote Cement truck, heading for Owo from Obajana in Kogi State, developed faulty brakes and skidded off the road, ramming into shops directly opposite the university.
A former spokesman for the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Joe Igbokwe in a Facebook post, have confirmed that a woman lost three of her children in the crash and died of shock on Saturday after receiving the sad news.
One of the students, who was in the entourage that went for Sampraise’s burial, said the herders waylaid the students’ convoy around Ondo town.
She said, “We journeyed on Monday to Okitipupa which was the hometown of our former SUG President, Sampraise. He was a 500 level law student. The current SUG President, nicknamed Supreme, also went with us. When we were returning, herdsmen attacked us in Ondo".
She continued "luckily, we were able to fight our way through. But the herdsmen abducted two non students in our convoy; a man and a woman who went with us. We arrived at campus at about 12am. On Tuesday, we paid a visit to the family of three colleagues who were killed in the crash involving a Dangote company truck".
On same Monday, governors of the South-West had a meeting in Akure, to discuss the upsurge of insecurity in the region, especially as it relates to kidnapping and killing by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The governors had decried the insecurity situation which necessitated their decision to ban open grazing by herdsmen in the region.
In a report of the meeting, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, had said, “Today, the South-West governors held a security stakeholders’ meeting in Ondo State. The meeting was obliged by our brother governors from Kebbi and Jigawa States, security chiefs, SW zone led by the AIG Zone 11 and leaders from the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria".
We have collectively, resolved to place ban on open grazing in all parts of the South-West. In Oyo State, we already have a law against open grazing which will continue to be implemented by our security agencies he added.
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