In Ogun State, a farmer has admitted to fatally attacking a cattle herder, revealing his reasons behind the act. Tensions escalated in Roro village, located along Mile 8 in the Obafemi Owode local government area, after a herder reported his son missing following a confrontation that led to the boy being driven away from a farm. As fears of a possible Fulani herder retaliation spread, the community, alongside police and local hunters, intensified their search efforts. Tragically, the herder’s body was discovered buried in a shallow grave.
Community elders proposed that all involved take an oath to uncover the truth within a week. However, before this could take place, a farmer and hunter named Taiwo Amos stepped forward and confessed. Amos, a widower with three children, recounted that on September 2, after attending church, he went to check a trap he had set on his farm to provide food for his family. Upon arrival, he encountered a lone herdsboy tending cattle. He described an overwhelming compulsion to kill the boy, saying, “After church, I went to inspect my trap and saw him from afar. Suddenly, a thought came over me to kill him. I quickly pursued and killed him. Only afterward did I notice many cows scattered around.”
When questioned if the cattle had damaged his crops, prompting his violent reaction, Amos denied any such provocation, stating, “He didn’t wrong me in any way, and honestly, his cattle never ate my crops.” He maintained that he acted independently and confessed out of fear of the impending oath and to protect his family and innocent villagers from suffering. “When the investigation began, the community decided everyone should swear an oath, promising the truth would emerge within seven days. Afraid, I approached the hunters and admitted to killing the Fulani man, which led to my arrest,” he explained.
Amos also revealed that his initial story to the police-that he had shot someone after hearing cries of “thief”-was fabricated. “I confessed because of the curses from those I falsely accused. I don’t want harm to come to my children,” he said. He further detailed that he had to amputate the victim’s legs due to exhaustion from digging the grave alone, emphasizing that no one else helped him with the killing or burial, and no one witnessed the shooting.
The accused pleaded for leniency, appealing to the government by saying, “I am a first-time offender; I beg for mercy.”
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