Eleven persons, including a traditional ruler, the Onu Agbenema, Musa Edibo, and his wife, were on Monday killed in separate attacks on Agbenema, Aj’Ichekpa, Opada, and Iyade villages in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State by suspected herdsmen.
Several houses were burnt down by the herdsmen who
were armed with sophisticated weapons, according to residents.
They hid in the bushes around these villages from where they launched deadly attacks on their targets, they said.
According to the residents, the mode of operation of the herdsmen was to set the houses ablaze and open fire on the fleeing inhabitants, slit their throats and cut off the vital parts of their victims.
Some of the residents told DAILY INDEPENDENT that the administrator of Omala Local Government Area, Ibrahim Aboh, escaped the attackers’ gunshots by the whiskers.
They stated that the soldiers, who were drafted to curtail the herdsmen killings, allegedly refused to assist the residents to repel the Fulani herdsmen.
“We were surprised when we approached the soldiers who were stationed at the Guest House at Abejukolo for assistance; they refused to act professionally, instead they used their vehicle to block us from advancing to the troubled spot 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 Ojuwo Ajomayeigbi, Iyade, Agbenema, and Opada villages so that they could use our land for their cattle colonies.
“We want the world to come to our assistance before these Fulanis exterminate us and take over our land.
“We have lost confidence in the security agencies posted to us, from their actions, we believe they have been instructed to adopt ‘siddon look’ attitude while we are being massacred.
“Right now, a coordinated war is raging simultaneously in most villages in Omala, Dekina, and Bassa LGAs.
“Our people are being killed and houses burnt down, even as our women are being raped.
“Many children who ran away from the theatre of war are still missing.
“Since the attacks began, we have not been able to go to the farms, even markets have closed.
“Hunger has come to stay on our soil. If drastic measures are not taken to quell these mad killings by these herdsmen, food insecurity will take over our land,” a resident lamented.
It would be recalled that on Saturday, the state governor, Yahaya Bello, visited the crisis-prone area of Oganenigu where over 25 persons were massacred while houses were burnt and over 45 motorbikes and food items carted away by the invading herders.
He promised to make the attacks the last across the state.
At the time of filing this report, the Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said he was yet to be briefed.
Meanwhile, about 120 births and 15 deaths have been recorded in the eight Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) camps in Benue State since January.
This disclosure was made by Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, on Monday. He added that over 50 communities in the state were affected in a development occasioned by Fulani herdsmen attacks in the state.
The governor made the disclosure during his visit to the camps where he reassured the IDPs that government was doing everything possible to enable them return to their homes.
The IDP camps were set up to cater for persons displaced by Fulani herdsmen attacks that left over 73 persons dead on January 1.
There were more attacks after the January incident that has witnessed the death of over 80 persons, including women and children.
As a result, there are no fewer than 170,000 IDPs lodged in camps strewn in different parts of the state.
Priscilla Tser, one of the nurses deployed to the IDP camp at Daudu, said most of the persons affected by diseases are children. They are infected with cough, diarrhea and hernia.
Another health worker, Grace Non, lamented that “Over 950 patients have been treated, with 32 referral cases to Benue State Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Center, Makurdi.”
She added, “We lack beds, equipment and instruments to treat the sick ones. Most times, they lie on bare ground to receive medical attention.
“Some good-spirited individuals and organisations have made donations of relief materials, but they’re grossly insufficient because of the large population of the IDPs.”
While Red Cross officials at the camps confirmed the figure of 15 deaths, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) confirmed the birth figures as 120.
Executive Secretary, SEMA, Emmanuel Shior, also confirmed the number of births recorded at the camps.
Governor Ortom, who spoke to newsmen at Umenger, one of the communities hardest hit by the herdsmen attacks, said about 50 communities have been affected by the attacks.
At Umenger, which was deserted by the people, the governor commended security forces in the area, adding, however, that more needs to be done.
According to the embattled governor, the visit was meant to give the IDPs hope and assurance that government is working hard to ensure the resolution of the crisis, so they could return to their homes.
He appealed with the Federal Government as well as security agencies to work assiduously towards restoring peace in the affected communities to enable the IDPs return to their homes.
Ortom observed: “The children in these camps could be mine, those of the President, Chief of Army Staff or even the Inspector General of Police.
“They should remember that there is God. When I, the president or security agencies may have failed, God will not fail. He will arise and give us justice.”
He also appealed to the Federal Government to upgrade the ‘Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatema’ to an operation and deploy more troops to the state to check the dastardly activities of the militia herdsmen.
daily Ind.
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