SaharaReporters gathered that the Amotekun operatives had seized the cows after acting on distress calls from farmers in the Oke Aro area of Akure, the state capital, that their crops had been destroyed.
Operatives of the Ondo State security outfit, codenamed Amotekun and soldiers on Monday clashed over the arrest of over 100 cows that violated the state’s anti-grazing law.
SaharaReporters gathered that the Amotekun operatives had seized the cows after acting on distress calls from farmers in the Oke Aro area of Akure, the state capital, that their crops had been destroyed.
The cows were alleged to have destroyed farmland and other valuables in the area.
However, the Amotekun operatives were resisted from taking the cows away by some soldiers attached to the 32 Artillery Brigade, (Owena Cantonment), Akure, who claimed that the cows belong to some senior officers in the barracks.
“While the Amotekun personnel were matching the seized 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,” an eyewitness told journalists in Akure.
“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 out or pay for the damaged crops.
“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 knew 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 arrested two of them.”
Ondo State commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye confirmed the incident.
He however described it 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.”