By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
It was confusion galore in Alaropo Nla in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State as herdsmen invaded a Community Grammar school in the town with their cattle.
New Nigerian gathered that the herdsmen during the invasion, headed for the school farm with their cattle, with the animals feeding on the crops.
This according to sources, irked the students who were around that time settling down for the commencement of their second term examination, resulting in the students rushing out of their classrooms to stop the cattle and the herdsmen from grazing on the crops in the farm.
Sources said it was at this juncture that trouble started when the herdsmen were said to have resisted the students and their teachers, allegedly attacking them and the teachers of the Community Grammar School, leaving some of them injured.
The students were said to have during the clash, apprehended about five of the herdsmen, while one of the teachers, identified as Mr. Paul Olabode was injured with sword and machete cuts, while many others were left with broken legs and hands.
The school’s Principal, Mrs. Grace Alamu, while narrating her experience, said, “ By 8am we had finished the morning devotion and I had dismissed the students and teachers so they could continue with the day’s business. We had started the terminal exam and I went to my office to attend to the PTA chairman who was waiting to see me.
” We were in my office when I saw through the window some students running helter-skelter, I was wondering what could be happening. I was alarmed when I also saw teachers including female ones also darting to and fro and I knew something was amiss. I alerted my guest and we went out. That was when we discovered what had happened that some Fulani herdsmen invaded the school farm with cows destroying our crops and attacked those who tried to drive them away”, she said.
Mrs Alamu added, ” In fact, some students were raising alarm that they were about killing a teacher. Everybody including students rallied round to rescue the teacher during which two of the attackers were apprehended. And in the end five of them were held. But that was after many staff and students had been severely wounded”.
She stressed, ” indeed an x-ray was conducted on the wrist of one of the students who suffered broken arm to ascertain the extent of damage there just as we would have to return a wounded teacher to the hospital tomorrow for further medical attention.”
Disclosing that the matter has
been reported to the police and that “Policemen are coming to the school to ascertain the incident, the Principal said it was first reported to the Agro Rangers operatives who came to the scene quickly.
“Thank God we made the report in time as these herdsmen had mobilized themselves to the scene spoiling for war. In fact, I don’t know how they were so many and how they got so many assault weapons.”
