A Fulani herder, Muhammed Maikudi, was on Wednesday shot dead in a forest reserve in Ifira Akoko, Akoko South East Local Government Area of Ondo State.
It was gathered that the deceased was shot dead by a local hunter, identified as Seyi Sansere, while grazing his cows in the forest reserve.
It could not be ascertained if the incident was as a result of an altercation between the hunter and the deceased.
A source said personnel of the state police command and the state security outfit, the Amotekun Corps, quickly mobilised to the scene to retrieve the deceased’s corpse and deposited it in the morgue of a government hospital in the local government area.
It was gathered that the suspected killer had been apprehended and was in police custody.
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Tee-Leo Ikoro, said he had not been brief about the incident.
But the leader of the Hausa/Fulani Community in the state, Bala Umar, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect had been transferred to the state police headquarters in Akure for further investigation.
“We have appealed to our people to be calm because we know that the government and security agencies will do justice on the case,” Umar said.
The state Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, stated that his men had been working with the police to ensure that there was peace in the area following the incident.
The commander, however, stated that the incident was not a case of herder- farmer clash as the suspect carried out the act while hunting in the forest.
“It was a local hunter, who shot dead the young herder. Our operatives were not involved. We have made efforts to ensure that there is peace in the community,” Adeleye said.