A quiet farming community in Oriire has been thrown into panic after a 65-year-old farmer, Kehinde Ojo, was brutally murdered in what is now suspected to be a violent land-use conflict involving grazing rights.

The killing, believed to have stemmed from a heated confrontation over farmland access, reportedly involved suspected herdsmen who demanded that the victim surrender his cassava farm for cattle grazing.

Sources within the community revealed that the incident occurred in Igbopupa, Yawota area near Alawusa, where tensions between farmers and herders have quietly escalated in recent months.

Ojo had reportedly visited his farm around 4:00 pm on Sunday for routine inspection when he was ambushed and attacked with machetes by the assailants.

The elderly farmer was left in a pool of blood before being rushed to a hospital in Ogbomoso, where he battled for his life for hours.

Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Monday, further deepening fears of insecurity in rural communities.

It was gathered that the matter was promptly reported at the Ikoyi-Ile police division, triggering an immediate security response.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed that the killing is being treated as a homicide case.

Police authorities have since arrested three suspects believed to be directly linked to the attack, as investigations intensify.

“Yes, the said Pa Kehinde Idowu sustained serious injury and was confirmed dead at the hospital today; meanwhile, three persons have been arrested in connection to his murder and investigation is ongoing,” Ayanlade stated.

The shocking killing has once again spotlighted the deadly consequences of unresolved farmer-herder clashes, raising urgent concerns over rural safety and land conflict management.