The personnel of the Ondo State security outfit, codenamed Amotekun and soldiers yesterday clashed in Akure, the state capital, over the arrest of over 100 cows that violated the state’s anti-grazing law, IgbereTV reports.
Acting on a distress call from farmers in the Oke Aro area of the state capital, over the destruction of their farmlands, the personnel of the security outfit reportedly stormed the area and arrested the cows in the act.
The cows were alleged to have destroyed farmlands and other valuables in the area.
Men of the Amotekun, according to an eyewitness account, were resisted from taking the cows away by some soldiers reportedly attached to the 32 Artillery Brigade, (Owena Cantonment), Akure.
They reportedly claimed that the cows belongs to their officers in the barracks.
The source told newsmen that ” while the Amotekun personnel was matching the arrested cows to their office at Alagbaka area of the state, soldiers numbering about ten stormed the area with Hilux vehicle and prevented the arrest of the cows.
“The soldiers insisted that the Amotekun men would not go away with the cows because they belonged to their officers from the military barrack.
” But the Amotekun officers insisted that the cows have violated the anti-grazing law and must be taken to the office for the owners to bail them or pay for the damaged farmlands.
“Crisis started with an exchange of hot words and it later snowballed into an exchange of blows between the two security outfits on the street.
” Before we know what was happening, they started shooting sporadically into the air.
” Immediately they started shooting, the residents scampered for safety in order not to be caught in the shooting by the two security outfits.
It was gathered that the soldiers eventually overpowered the Amotekun personnel and they arrested and whisked away two personnel of Amotekun.
Contacted, the state Commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye described the incident as ” a minor disagreement between the officers of the two security outfits.
Adeleye said that ” it has been resolved amicably adding that “it was the arrested herders that hid under the soldiers to cause misunderstanding between the security outfits.
The commander said that ” let me confirm to you that the cows have been released to us.
It was gathered that the two officers whisked away have equally been released to the state commander of the security outfit.
Normalcy, has, however, returned to the trouble area in the state capital.
