Residents Panic As Herders, Thousands Of Cows Storm Osogbo City

Fear has gripped residents in Osogbo as herds of cattle numbering about 1,000 were seen freely moving on roads in the capital of Osun State.

The cattle were led by about 12 herdsmen, who claimed to be moving through the state capital to a neighbouring town on Thursday evening.

It was gathered that on sighting the cattle on the road along Sir Adesoji Aderemi Way, motorists and shop owners fled and abandoned their cars on the road.

It, however, took the intervention of operatives of Osun Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, to get people to remain calm and forced the herders to direct the cattle away from major routes out of the state.

Osun Amotekun Field Commandant, Amitolu Shittu, while speaking with newsmen said the herders claimed to be passing through bush paths to villages in Ilesa to access water.

According to him, “Initially, they wanted to resist instructions to lead the cattle to identified routes out of the state, but they later succumb to our instruction.

“The team escorted the cattle and the herders to the boundary of a neighbouring state before it disembark and allow them to move away,” he said.