A report by the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Department of Veterinary Service Ministry of Agriculture Ondo state, Dr. Akinbamidele Akinshirotan has confirmed the cause of the reported death of 36 cows at Oke-Owa, Ijare, in Ifedore Local Government area of Ondo state.
According to the report, it was observed that the sacred Oke-Owa is about 1916 feet above sea level and 36 cows were found dead on the same spot.
It was also stated that, no visible evidence of struggle, which might be indicative of violent death, no form of Oral, Nassal or Rectal discharge was observed in the carcasses.
The report further stated that no farmland is located in the area. But evidence of grazing round the mountain top by the herd of Cattle. And used vaccine containers and packets of used drugs were scattered round the mountain top.
It was added that the Oke-Owa Mountain top is considered to be sacred and only the Olujare of Ijare is allowed to visit the place once in a year to perform traditional rites, no other subject of the community is allowed to visit the location and as such no farming activities are going on around the Oke-Owa and its environs.
The report said that a heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm occurred the late evening of Saturday 21st of September, 2019.
Considering the height of this mountain at 1916 feet above the sea level and the Herd of Cattle placed outdoor under the rains and thunderstorm conditions, they were vulnerable to lightning strike.
It was said that cattle, being four legged animal and having a large separation between their forelimb and hind limb, are vulnerable to receive lightning injuries due to the dangerous potential differences that may build up between these feet in the events of nearby lightning.
It was also stated that the entire lightning current passed through the herd of cattle over their bodies causing the death of the entire herd.
The report revealed that the death of the herd of cattle is suspected to be due to lightning strike based.
Meanwhile, Ondo State health officials have been deployed to the sacred Owa Hill on Saturday to fumigate the area.
The fumigation exercise which took place during the environmental sanitation exercise in the state comprised of 13 members of health workers and two representatives of the Olujare of Ijare.
The Deputy Director, Mr Olabanji Olaseyinde, who spoke on behalf of the Director said,” we are here to prevent any outbreak of disease by fumigating the carcass and make sure there is no decease formatting and spreading from any carcass to the community.
“The fumigation took effect immediately because of the nature of the area which is all around rocks. We didn’t have room to bury them which made the fumigation our last option.
“After the whole fumigation, we would notice that the animals shrink together. Thereafter it compresses together.
Speaking, the Olujare of Ijare disclosed that the town needed to make some sacrifices and sought for state government support.
About 36 cows had been struck dead late Saturday September 21 by thunder on top of a sacred grove at Ijare.
The grove known as ‘Oke Owa’ is located on the outskirt of the agrarian community.
It was gathered that only the king of the town and some virgins are allowed to visit the grove once in a year during the celebration of the new yam festival to perform some rituals.
The traditional ruler of the town, Oba Adebamigbe Oluwagbemigun, had explained that the cause of the death was as a result of the cows’ penetration into the sacred hill which angered the gods.
His words, “Things of this nature had never happened since I assumed the throne 22 years ago. The villagers and the herders have been living peacefully together.
“Nobody was aware that such had happened until the following morning when a hunter who went to check his trap came to inform us of the unfortunate incident.
“Though, when it started raining early Saturday, we heard the sound of the thunder four times, we never envisaged it could happenbecause we did not believe anybody could go there.
“Even as the king of Ijare, I only go there once in a year, after appeasing the gods. It is a sacred place that no one dares. Days ago, Miyetti Allah leader in this local government came to my palace and also said that it was lightning strike and that the owner of the cows, a 26-year-old man has gone back to Ilorin.”
On the significance of the place, he said that it was the first settlement point of Olujare from Ile-Ife which makes the place sacred.
The monarch who urged the villagers to go about their normal duties without fomenting any trouble appealed to the State Government to expedite action and remove the dead cows.
A native of the town, whose house on the way to the grove, had said that the repeated loud crack of thunder that accompanied the evening rain made them to suspect that something unusual had happened.
He said nobody knew that the thunder had actually caused havoc until a hunter came in the morning that during his hunting expedition, he saw some dead cows on the grove.
The report of the hunter made Oba Oluwagbenigun delegate chiefs to make a fact finding report to the police and to also go to the scene to assess what had happened.
The incident immediately turned the hill to a tourist centre for the people of the community as they, especially youths trooped there to catch a glimpse of what happened.
During a visit to the grove, there were 36 dead cows lying on the ground without any mark on their bodies.
There were also indications that herdsmen were trying to settle on top of the hill as there was a shed under construction with tubers of yam and pepper on the ground.
Speaking with journalists, the Olujare of Ijare, who spoke through his second in command, Chief Wemimo Olaniran, the Sapetu of Ijare, described the act as an act of God.
The chief said it was surprising to them when they heard five days ago that some Fulanis were ascending the sacred hill to settle after they had destroyed many farmlands and created fears in the minds of the people.
“We were there this morning and we saw about 36 cows dead apart from the ones inside the bush. It has happened and there is nothing we can do, we regard it as the act of God which nobody can query.
“There had been occasions like that, but not as massive as we are having now, to some individuals who desecrated the land. In the past, we did witness thunder attack, when you desecrated any part of Ijare particularly the sacred places like the grove.
“The dead cows will be there forever, it is part of the history in our land for people to see as testimony in future that such a thing had happened, an Oba was once buried there alive and heaven did not fall let alone ordinary cows.
“Oke Owa is a sacred hill where the Oba and some of his chiefs visit once a year during new yam festival to offer sacrifices on behalf of the community.
“Even those chiefs accompanying the Oba must not go to the inner part of the hill because there is a particular place where only the Oba can enter and spend a night.
“This is the hill that the herdsmen wanted to desecrate with their herds. It is a taboo. When we heard about the incident, we invited the herdsmen and they confirmed that it was thunder that struck the cows.
“We went to the police station to report the matter and the Divisional Police Officer was contacted before chiefs including myself went there.
“Those cows would remain there and rotten because nobody must touch them otherwise there would be problem.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Ondo State Command, Mr. Femi Joseph had confirmed that the matter was reported at Ijare Police Station and described the incident as a natural disaster and unfortunate.
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