Suspected Herder Attacks Female Farmer In Ondo

A female rice farmer, Amaka Okafor, has been attacked by a yet-to-be-identified man suspected to be a herder in Ondo State.

Okafor was attacked by the suspect on Thursday at her farm in Ogbese, a settlement in Akure North Local Government of the state.

The middle-aged woman was attacked with a cutlass while she was working on her farm, Channels Television gathered on Friday.

She was said to have resisted the cattle led by some herdsmen from grazing on her farm, an action which prompted one of the herders to attack her.

As a result of the attack, Okafor sustained matchet injuries on her head and hands.

A farmer in the area told Channels Television that the suspect would have killed Okafor if not that she screamed and ran away from her farm.

Akin Olotu, who is the senior special assistant to the state governor on agriculture, also confirmed the incident to Channels Television.

He condemned the incident and decried the situation where many farmers could no longer go to their farms for fear of being attacked.

The governor’s aide noted that the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital following the incident where she has been responding to treatment.

He warned that if such incidents were allowed to continue, it could lead to a food crisis in the state.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Tee-Leo Ikoro, also confirmed the incident to Channels Television.

According to him, the police have commenced an investigation into the incident with a view to arresting the suspect and bringing him to justice.