A thunder strike on Sunday killed eight cows in the Ori-Ohin community of Ifon, located in the Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The incident, which circulated on social media on Monday, has sparked speculation among locals, who believe it may be linked to a spiritual response to the destruction of farmland by herders.
Residents claim that the farmland had been allocated to Ebira-speaking farmers from Kogi State, but repeated damage by cows—allegedly belonging to Fulani herders—had disrupted their activities.
A community member, Joshua Ogunmola, stated that after several unaddressed complaints to security agencies, some farmers resorted to spiritual means to protect their land.
A representative of the traditional ruler, speaking anonymously, said the herders had been warned multiple times to stay away from the farmland and were in violation of the state’s 2021 anti-open grazing law.
Police spokesperson Alayande Olushola Adeyinka confirmed the incident, describing it as a “natural phenomenon,” and noted that security forces had already been active in the area to prevent conflict due to ongoing tensions between farmers and herders.
Similar thunder strikes in the past have killed cattle in other parts of Ondo State, including a 2019 incident in Ijare where 36 cows were struck, and another in Ikare Akoko where eight cows died.
In both cases, local residents linked the occurrences to divine punishment.