A strange thunderstorm struck the Ori-Ohin area of Ifon in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State on Sunday, killing at least eight cows.
A video showing the aftermath surfaced on social media the following day, sparking reactions from residents and leaders in the predominantly farming community.
Sources revealed that the land in question had been allocated to some Ebira-speaking farmers from Kogi State.
However, those farmers reportedly struggled to reap the fruits of their labor due to repeated destruction caused by freely roaming cattle.
One of the residents, Joshua Ogunmola, confirmed the thunderstrike and expressed frustration over the continued violation of open grazing laws by the herders.
He noted that complaints had previously been made to security authorities but yielded little action.
According to him, the affected farmers resorted to spiritual means after conventional approaches failed.
He explained that the cows had earlier destroyed several farms and that the thunderstorm might have been the result of sacrifices offered by the farmers to protect their crops.
A representative of the community’s traditional ruler, who chose to remain anonymous, echoed similar sentiments.
He suggested that the herders ignored repeated warnings to stay away from farmlands and continued to breach the 2021 law banning open grazing and unauthorized livestock movement in the state.
The community reportedly received news of the thunderstrike early Monday while preparing for morning prayers.
Residents interpreted the incident as a repercussion of the persistent violations by the herders.
Meanwhile, Ondo State Police spokesperson, Alayande Olushola Adeyinka, confirmed the occurrence, describing it as a natural event.
He stated that no one would be held accountable, emphasizing that thunder and lightning are acts of nature.
He also mentioned that security operatives had already been stationed in the area due to previous tensions linked to herder-related complaints, but no threat of unrest was anticipated.
