By Tijani Labaran
An armed hoodlum has reportedly murdered a young man, identified as Eikwu Sule, at Oko-dudu in the Adumu-Egume area of Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State.
Locals reported that the young farmer was shot dead on Saturday during a clash that ensued between him and an armed herder while he was tending to his cashew farm.
Late Sule had reportedly just returned to town to work on his farm when an altercation with the hoodlum led to his untimely death.
“Our brother left for the farm at Oko-dudu on Saturday morning to tend to his cashew farm with only a cutlass. Unfortunately, he met a herder tampering with his cashew nuts,” a family source revealed. “In the ensuing altercation, which snowballed into a fight, he overcame the herder. In the melee that followed, the herder reached for his gun and shot him dead.”
The President of the Egume-Ome Descendants Union (EODU), Comrade Sunday Maji, expressed shock over the incident, urging security operatives to swiftly investigate so that justice may prevail.
In a formal statement, the union said: “With shock and grief, Egume Ome Descendants Union received the sad news that armed men allegedly invaded Oko-dudu and brutally murdered Eikwu Sule. This is the peak of provocation of a peaceful community. We condemn this in the strongest terms and urge security agencies to investigate the incident for justice to be served.”
Similarly, the Paramount Ruler of the community, the Onuh Egume, HRH Chief Simon Ochimana, condemned the killing.
He appealed to residents not to take the law into their own hands, noting that security operatives have been informed and are working to uncover the killers.
“The incident leading to this loss of life is very unfortunate; however, it is not a reason to breach peace and security. I appeal to residents to remain calm and allow security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation,” the traditional ruler said.
A source from the local police station confirmed the incident, stating that action was already being taken.
“Security agencies, including the police, military personnel, and local vigilantes, are already trailing the suspects in the forest in an attempt to apprehend the killers and bring them to book,” the source said.
Attempts to confirm the development with the Kogi State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, could not be reached via cellphone at the time of filing the report.
