Agency Report
Tension erupted in Atapa, Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State on Monday, as some youths protested the circumstances that surrounded the death of a 30-year old man, Benjamin Oyelade.
According to Olawumi, the sister of the late Oyelade, he was en-route Atapa-Iresa Adu to purchase Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), on Sunday, at about eight 0’clock in the evening, when a suspected herd allegedly bumped into the road and knocked him off the motorcycle.
Olawunmi said her brother Benjamin whose child Christening ceremony and house warming were slated for the following day (Monday) died as a result of the accident.
She said, “Today ought to be his day, he is meant to name his child and dedicate his new house, but instead of these we are mourning him. We have buried him.
“He saw his child but didn’t wait to name the child.”
She expressed regret that security agencies including the Amotekun corps could not apprehend the herder or impound any of the cows.
Olawunmi alleged that some youths traced the herd to a herders settlement in annoyance and destroyed part of the settlement by burning down a hut .
While accusing security agencies involved of not being proactive enough, she implored them to fish out the herder who coordinated the cows for the sake of justice.
“All they did was to arrest the youths that protested and till now we don’t know the owners of the cows that strailed and killed my brother. Please, fish out those behind the barbaric and inhuman act,” she said.
Reacting, Baale of Atapa, Solomon Babalola who noted that some cows were responsible for the death said it was unfortunate that no cow has been seized and no herder has been identified.
“When they called to inform us, we rushed to the scene. We saw the cows running towards our direction without being guided.
“But we can’t say categorically that residents of the settlement attacked were the owners of the herd,we have however appealed to the youth to remain calm and allow law to take its course” he said.
When visited, parts of the herders settlement around Iresa Adu was evidently damaged as one of the huts had been razed .
A spokesperson for the settlers, Sani Abdullahi described as unfortunate the behavior of the youths who went on rampage.
He said when they heard about the carnage they rushed to the scene and saw the fleeing herd and made an unsuccessful effort to capture them.
Abdullahi said a cow was eventually captured by men of Amotekun and it had been handed over to the police. He noted that the settlement was wrongly attacked stating that the settlement did not harbor any herd.
A resident of the settlement who alleged that he was battered, said while he was returning home ignorant of what had happened,he saw some youths setting ablaze his hut and his efforts to query what was happening looked offensive to the rampaging youths who subsequently descended on him.
He said it took the intervention of some elders to save him.
A youth in the area told Radio Nigeria that a large herd passing through Iresa Adu was chased back by dwellers, adding that in the process, the herd rammed into Benjamin and his motorcycle.
A security source who did not want to be quoted said it was a case of mere accident, noting that there was no evidence to show that the herd was responsible for the accident.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Oyo state, DSP Adewale Osifeso said a case of fatal accident was reported, adding that the command would commence investigation on the matter.
