Fidelis David
The lifeless bodies of two out of the four butchers kidnapped by suspected herdsmen in Ondo State have been found inside the bush.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Monday evening at Ajabusi community after Ala town in Akure North Local Government.
A source told THISDAY that the butchers had received a call from one of the suspected kidnappers to come and buy cows and getting to the community, the suspected kidnappers besieged them, shooting sporadically and kidnapped three of them.
Nasiru Jamiu, the only surviving but injured butcher while narrating how the suspected herdsmen lured them (customers) into the bush before they perpetrated their evil act, said: “The Fulani people that used to sell cows to my boss called him to come and buy cows. Though he had been selling cows to him before, it has been long they both transacted business.
“We first went to the place on Saturday but the place was a long journey and my boss asked us to come back that he did not feel like going. The guy kept disturbing him and convinced him that they would bring the cows to a nearby. So when he was called on Monday, they told us that some people would come and meet us at Ala town before we would proceed to where the cows were
kept.
“On getting to Ala (in Akure North), they took us to where the cows were and asked us to park our vehicles so that they could move the cows to the main road.
“They entered into the bush while four of us were waiting beside the vehicle. Surprisingly they returned with guns and started shooting to the air. They kidnapped my boss inside the bush.
Three of us left were tried to run for our lives but I was macheted, I fell and pretended as if I had died.
“When I later realised no one was there again and I discovered that I was still alive, I stood up and I was running around the bush.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Funmilayo Odunlami confirmed the development.
She, howeve,r told THISDAY that the state police command had deployed its men to comb the bush in the axis while noting that no arrest has been made so far.
