Three farmers from Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State were on Thursday arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ibadan for allegedly killing and butchering 33 cows belonging to Fulani herders.
The farmers – Isiaka Adebayo, 48; Ramonu Adewole, 52; and Taofeek Adeyemi, 45 – were charged with conspiracy, malicious damage, and theft under sections 516, 451, and 390(9) of the Oyo State Criminal Code.
Police prosecutor Inspector Olalekan Adegbite told the court that on November 28, 2025, the trio, alongside others still at large, allegedly attacked a herd of cattle that had strayed into their cassava and maize farms at Alagba village via Ojoo-Iroko Road.
The herders claimed the farmers used machetes, clubs, and dogs to chase the cattle into a deep gully before slaughtering 33 of them and carting away the meat.The carcasses and meat were reportedly valued at ₦20 million (approximately $12,000 at the current parallel market rate).
Chief Magistrate O.A. Akande did not take the plea of the defendants due to jurisdictional limitations on the offences, which are considered felony charges.
The case was subsequently adjourned to January 14, 2026, and the file forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
The three farmers were remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre pending the outcome.
The incident has reignited heated debate across Nigeria’s social media space about the recurring clashes between crop farmers and nomadic herders, a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives in the last decade.
Many online commentators pointed out what they described as “selective justice,” noting that while farmers are routinely prosecuted for killing stray cattle, herders are rarely charged when their livestock destroy entire farms.One widely shared reaction read: “33 cows = court case and remand. 33 hectares of crops destroyed = ‘go and settle it with the herder.’
This imbalance is why the cycle never ends.”Oyo State has recorded several violent farmer-herder clashes in recent years, particularly in food-producing areas like Saki, Oke-Ogun, and Ibarapa.
Despite the federal government’s 2017 policy pushing for ranching and the enactment of anti-open grazing laws in several southern and middle-belt states, open grazing remains common in many parts of the country.
Legal experts say the current case will test whether the judiciary can apply the law even-handedly.
Under Nigerian law, both the destruction of crops by cattle and the killing of livestock are criminal offences, but enforcement has historically been lopsided.
As the defendants await their next court appearance, community leaders in Akinyele have called for calm, warning that further reprisals could spiral into broader communal violence.
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The Oyo State Police Command has assured the public that investigation is ongoing and that anyone found culpable – on either side – will face the full weight of the law.
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