Herdsmen attack passengers on Ife-Ibadan road, one dead
Suspected Fulani herdsmen on Wednesday attacked passengers along the Ife-Ibadan Highway, killing one person.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the dead man was identified as Mr Adenipekun Ademiju, a worker in the Atakumosa West Local Government Area of Osun State.
Ademiju was said to have boarded a vehicle at Osu town going to Ibadan when he and other passengers were attacked at Ikire community along the expressway.
According to an eyewitness account, Ademiju was hit by a bullet as the robbers fired indiscriminately in order to force the vehicle to stop.
“The man was killed instantly by Fulani herdsmen, who rob regularly on this road.
“It was Ademiju and the driver, who were in the car. It was while the robbers were shooting indiscriminately to forcefully stop them, that a bullet hit the deceased.
“The driver ran into the nearby bush and Ademiju’s body was left on the highway by the robbers, who went away with the car,” the witness said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Osun State Police Command, SP. Folashade Odoro, who confirmed the incident in an interview with newsmen, said police were still investigating the matter.
Herdsmen and other criminal gangs have launched deadly attacks on highways in parts of the country in recent years, making travelling a risky venture nationwide.