Roro village, along Mile 8 in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State, was gripped by tension after a cattle rearer reported his son missing following a chase from a farm.
Rumours of a possible Fulani herder invasion quickly spread as search efforts for the missing boy intensified. Community members, hunters, and police collaborated in the search, which ultimately led to the discovery of the boy’s body buried in a shallow grave.
Community leaders called for an oath-taking ceremony to reveal the truth within seven days. However, before this took place, a farmer and hunter, Taiwo Amos, confessed to the killing.
Amos, a widower and father of three, explained that he had gone to check his trap on the afternoon of Tuesday, 2 September, after church service. He encountered the herdsman alone and said he was overcome by an uncontrollable urge to kill the boy.
“I came back from church, went to check my trap, and saw him from a distance. Suddenly, a thought came to me to go and kill him,” Amos said.
He denied any provocation from the herdsman or his cattle. “He did not offend me at all, and his cows did not eat my crops,” he added.
The incident has sparked debate in the community, with some questioning whether Amos’s actions were the result of mental instability or calculated cruelty.
Amos insisted he acted alone and confessed out of fear of the consequences of the oath, not wanting harm to come to his children or innocent people.
“When the village suggested that everyone take an oath and that the truth would come out within seven days, I was afraid. I confessed to the hunters that I killed the herdsman and was subsequently taken to the police station,” he said.
He admitted to lying initially, claiming he shot the herdsman after hearing shouts of ‘thief,’ but later revealed the truth, explaining he had cut the boy’s legs due to exhaustion while burying him. “No one helped me, and no one saw me shoot him,” Amos said.
The suspect pleaded for mercy, describing himself as a first-time offender.
In response to the ongoing search, the Baale of Abule Akin in Itoko Mile 8, Fatai Akande Adebayo, said he consulted Sango, the god of thunder, after police and hunters failed to find the suspect. Though the incident did not occur in his village, he was approached by police for assistance.
“The herdsman’s cattle moved into our village after he died. The DPO of Kemta asked us to help find the killer,” Adebayo said. Following his spiritual consultation, Amos confessed to a fellow hunter the same night.
This case echoes a similar event in April 2020, when a farmer and his son in Odeda LGA killed a herdsman following disputes over grazing land. The police then reported the use of charms to subdue the victim before his murder.
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has urged calm among residents, assuring that peace has been restored.
“The suspect is in custody, and the weapons used—a dane gun and cutlass—have been recovered,” he confirmed. “The corpse was exhumed and properly reburied at the family’s request.”
Ogunlowo called for residents to avoid taking the law into their own hands and to report issues through proper channels.
“Even when something has gone wrong, two wrongs cannot make a right,” he said. “Lay your complaints with the relevant agencies, and they will act immediately.”
