Suspected Herdsmen Kill Traditional Ruler, Wife In Kogi

A traditional ruler, wife and eight others have become the latest victims of the herdsmen terror.

The 10 victims lost their lives in a fresh attack launched by the herdsmen in three villaes in Kogi State. The slain traditional ruler is the Onu of Agbenema, Chief Musa Edibo and his wife, while several houses were burnt down by suspected herdsmen in separate attacks on Agbenema, Aj’Ichekpa, Opada and Iyade villages, on Monday, March 1, 2018.

Agbenema is in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Similarly, the houses of a former council chairman, Adofu Stephen and that of his parents were raised down.

Last week, the herdsmen had killed more than 25 people in the same local government. Unofficial report said that the death toll from the previous attacks had risen to 50.

In the latest offensives, the marauding herdsmen burnt several houses in the affected communities.

The attackers, according to fleeing villagers, were armed with sophisticated weapons and hid themselves in adjourning bushes from where they swooped on their targets.

According to the natives, the herdsmen whose bizarre operation is to set houses ablaze and open fire on the fleeing inhabitants, slit the throats of some of people they could catch and as well, cut off vital body parts of some of their victims.

They alleged that the Administrator of Omala Local Government Area, Hon. Ibrahim Aboh, escaped from the attackers’ sporadic shooting by the whiskers.

The villagers claimed that soldiers drafted to curtail the killings had refused to assist them to repel the attackers when they reported to them.

One of them said: “We were surprised when we approached the soldiers who were stationed at the Guest House at Abejukolo for assistance; they refused to act and used their vehicle to block us from advancing to the troubled spots to help our people.

“It is clear that the aim of the Fulani herdsmen is to kill us and take over our ancestral homes.

“They have razed down Ojuocha Ajomayeigbi, Iyade, Agbenema and Opada villages so they could use our land for their cattle colonies.

“We want the world to come to our assistance before these Fulanis exterminate and inherit our land. We have lost confidence in the security agencies posted to us.

“From their actions, we believed they have been instructed to adopt ‘siddon look’ while we are being massacred.

“Right now, coordinated war is raging simultaneously in most villages in Omala, Dekina, and Bassa councils.

“Our people are being killed and houses burnt down, even as our women are being raped, while many children who ran from the theatre of war are still missing.

“Since the attacks begun, we cannot go to the farms and our markets have been closed.

“Hunger has come to stay on our soil. If drastic measures are not taken to quell these gruesome killings by these herdsmen, food insecurity will take over our land”.

Last Saturday, Governor Yahaya Bello visited the crisis-ridden area of Oganenigu where over 25 persons were killed, houses burnt and over 45 motorbikes, and food items carted away by the invading herders.

When contacted on the Monday attack, the State Command Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Williams Aya, said that he was yet to be briefed.