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Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the indigenes of the Ajowa community in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday, cried out over the continued criminal activities of herdsmen in their community.

Recall, last week, indigenes of three communities—Ijagba, Imoru, and Arimogija, in the Ose council area of the state, fled their communities to neighbouring towns and villages, over incessant attacks by suspected herdsmen.<!--more-->

This came on the heels of the recent abduction of the traditional ruler of the town, the Oso of Oso Ajowa, Oba Jimoh Omoola.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Ajowa community, Mr. Jaco Adegoke, at a town hall meeting to discuss the activities of the herdsmen, narrated a bitter experience of residents in the last two years.

“Our experiences in the hands of these criminals in the last two years are unimaginable.

“In the last two years, these criminals have killed, maimed, raped, and kidnapped our people. Our people live in fear. Our farmers are afraid to go to the farm, for fear of being killed or kidnapped.

“Those who summoned the courage to go in a bid to feed their family members, go alone. They now sneak to and from the farm.

“Our wives and daughters do not follow us to the farm again for fear of being raped or killed by the herdsmen.”

Also , speaking at the meeting, the chairman of the Ajowa community and a retired Anglican Bishop, Rev Ezekiel Dahunsi, lamented that anxiety reigns in the community following the activities of the criminals.

Speaking further, the recently released monarch, who spoke at the meeting, called for the establishment of a Divisional Police Headquarters at Ajowa to curtail the criminal activities of the bandits.

“Military personnel should also be deployed to support security system in the community,” he added.