Daily Post Newspaper reports that no fewer than five persons have been hacked to death by suspected Fulani herdsmen in two separate attacks in Abraka and Obiaruku, both in Ethiope East and Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State.
It was gathered that the incident happened over the weekend in a renewed clash between herdsmen and farmers in the areas over the destruction of crops by cattle.
According to Vanguard, the latest attacks, which have reportedly stirred tension between local farmers and herdsmen in the state, claimed the lives of four males and a female as more residents in the state called for the ejection of the herdsmen from their lands.
A source said two of the victims, who were cousins, Akpovona Felix and Sunday Akpupu, were indigenes of Eku community residing at the Delta State University host community of Abraka.
The deceased were said to have refused to allow herdsmen to graze their cattle on their farms.
Akpovona, a father of five, was said to have been shot by the herdsmen while his brother was hacked to death and his fingers cut off.
The second incident happened in a farm around a forest reserve along the Abraka-Benin road, a boundary area between Urhoka-Abraka and Obiaruku. It claimed the lives of two males and a female.
The victims, according to sources, were indigenes of Obiaruku community.
“They had gone to the farm last week Tuesday and when they did not return, the next day, a search party sent to look for them found their lifeless bodies at separate locations by a river bank near their farm,” Progress Aganbi, a native of the area, narrated.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Aniamaka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, confirmed that there were clashes in the two areas, but could not immediately confirm the number of casualties.
He said his main were on trail of those behind the devilish attack.
In a related development,naij.com reports that Fulani Herdsmen have killed four policemen, three others in Adamawa
This was disclosed by the Adamawa state police command on Sunday, January 8.
Although the Adamawa state police command confirmed the killings in the state, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Othman Abubakar claimed that only three riot policemen were killed while two were missing.
Abubakar said four rifles, belonging to the policemen, were also missing.
Abubakar, a Superintendent of Police, said: “Fulani militia attacked the three villages and we lost three of our gallant MOPOL while two are missing.
“We have constituted a high-powered search team and by the special grace of God, we are going to recover our men.
“On the side of the civilians, two bodies have so far been recovered.”
However, Lumsambani Dilli, a member representing Demsa community in the state House of Assembly, said he was reliably informed by his constituents that three villagers and four policemen died in the attacks.
The lawmaker urged the state government to fish out the culprits, especially “the herdsmen who carried out the atrocious acts.”
Dilli, who said five other persons sustained serious injuries and had been taken to the state specialist hospital, observed that there was more behind the attacks.
He said: “If it is about the cows, they had been compensated. So, why then the attacks after compensation had been paid?”
It was learnt that the state government had, after a peace parley with the herdsmen who lost 47 cows to the villagers, offered the aggrieved herdsmen N4.7m compensation.
On his part, Governor Muhammad Bindow condemned the attack, which occurred less than 24 hours after a government delegation on peace-building mission visited the area.
The governor, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, directed security agencies to deploy more personnel in the area.
Bindow described the attack as unfortunate and sad, especially coming after recent peace and confidence building efforts.
He said: “The governor feels highly disturbed that after he had sent delegation on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to interface with the different communities in the area, a clash could occur so soon thereafter.”
He assured residents of the government’s resolve to restore peace to the affected areas and protect the lives of every citizen.
No comments:
Post a Comment