Ten people lost their lives and three others injured in a clash between herders and farmers in Gbenpakan community, Saki West local government area of Oyo State.
The South-West Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Kadiri Olanrewaju disclosed this in Ibadan, the Oyo State’s capital.
Mr Olanrewaju disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing stakeholders after an on-the-spot assessment, carried out in collaboration with State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA to ascertain the level of impact of the clash on the community.
Olanrewaju also said that 3 individuals sustained injuries from the clash that happened on the 27th of August, 2024, noting that the injured persons were currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
The NEMA boss said the report at the agency’s disposal stated that the conflict stemmed from tensions regarding the use of farm land, with farmers accusing herders of encroaching on their farmland for grazing purposes.
The coordinator said the chairman of the local government, the state government in conjunction with NEMA will give relief items to victims of the clash on Sunday 15 September, 2024.
While expressing sympathy with the affected community, Olanrewaju urged both farmers and herders to live peacefully, noting that the solution to recurrent clashes was to have organised animal rearing.
Receiving the NEMA and SEMA team, chairman, Saki West LGA, Hon. Gbenga Akinola provided a brief overview on the cause of the conflict, explaining that he had held a peace meeting with aggrieved parties to douse the tension.
