The police on Thursday arraigned three farmers in the Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, over the alleged killing of 33 cows at the herders’ settlement.

The three farmers, Rashidi Kareem, 60; Dele Julius, 41; and Musa Rasaki, 65, all of the Kunbi village, Akinyele, Ibadan, are charged with conspiracy and unlawful killing of cows.

The prosecuting counsel, Sgt. Akeem Akinloye, told the court that the farmers conspired to commit the offence.

Mr Akinloye said the men willfully and unlawfully killed 33 cows, valued at N20 million, the property of Aliyu Abubakar and Muhammed Abubakar.

He added that the offence was committed on November 27 between 1:00 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. at Kunbi village in the Akinyele area of Ibadan.

The prosecutor explained that even though the cows grazed on the farmland during the day, the farmers went out at night to slaughter them, an offence that contravened sections 450 and 517 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.

However, the farmers pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the chief magistrate, Olabisi Ogunkanmi, granted them N1 million bail each, with two sureties each in like sum.

Ms Ogunkanmi said one of the sureties must be a close relative of the defendants and adjourned the matter until January 19, 2026, for settlement.

(NAN)