Men of the the Ondo State Security Network Agency and soldiers on Tuesday evening, April 4, clashed in Akure, the state capital over the arrest of about 100 cows that violated the state anti-grazing law.
It was gathered that officials of the Corps responded to a distress call from farmers in the Oke-Aro area of the state capital, complaining over the destruction of their farmlands by some herdsmen and their cows.
The state security officials rushed to the scene of the incident and arrested the cows and their owners on the farms while the farmers alleged the cows to have destroyed farmlands and other valuables in the area.
According to an eyewitness, the Amotekun men were prevented from taking the cows away by some soldiers reportedly attached to the 32 Artillery Brigade, (Owena Cantonment), Akure.
The source said that the soldiers reportedly claimed that the cows belong to their officers in the barracks and prevented the Amotekun men from taking the cows away.
“While the Amotekun personnel was marching 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 source told newsmen.
“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 their 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.
The soldiers eventually overpowered the Amotekun personnel and whisked away two personnel.
Reacting to the incident, the state Commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye described the incident as “a minor disagreement between the officers of the two security outfits.
“It has been resolved amicably. it was the arrested herders that hid under the soldiers to cause misunderstanding between the security outfits. I can confirm to you that the cows have been released to us,” he stated.
It was also gathered that the two officers whisked away have equally been released to the state commander of the security outfit, while normalcy has returned to the area.