After surviving series of mindless attacks in the hands of murderous herdsmen, the relative peace enjoyed in Aila, one of the communities making up Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, appears to have been shattered. The kinsmen, who earlier worked together to defend the community against external aggression, recently engaged in a bloody communal clash which led to the brutal killing of many residents and vandalisation of over 100 houses. Many families have consequently scattered with many parents not knowing the children’s whereabouts. INNOCENT DURU reports.
After fighting hard together with his kinsmen to bring about lasting peace in Aila, one of the Agatu Local Government Areas ravaged by killer herdsmen’s attacks, 87-year -old Pa Adamu Olotu, had one wish for his agrarian community and that was never to see the community attacked and the blood of his people spilled again.
Beyond wishing for a lasting peace in his community, the octogenarian made deliberate and frantic efforts to ward off any further bloody attacks against Aila.
Unfortunately for the ex-military man, the wish soon vanished a like vapour as the community once again witnessed another round of killings and wanton destruction of houses and other valuables by its own people. The recent communal clash which has left the community desolate, was said to have been triggered by chieftaincy and land tussles between opposing clans making up the community.
“We were at home when the disgruntled clans invaded our homes with guns and other dangerous weapons. They struck around 5pm and threw the entire area into confusion as they started shooting and burning houses. I was sleeping when I heard the gunshots. I am a retired military officer and it was my military experience that helped me to survive the onslaught.
“The attackers killed my younger brother, Bakwo, in the process and also killed one of his sons, Jumo. They burnt my house and everything in it. As I am talking with you now, I don’t have anything again, not even a shirt. The one I am wearing now was given to me by a friend.”
Regretting that his desire for his community to enjoy lasting peace has been shattered, Olotu said: “After narrowly surviving the herdsmen’s menace and trying to start life afresh, it is unfortunate that our own people chose to return the community to the days of mindless killings. My wish that the lives of our people would not be wasted on the altar of needless clashes has gone with the wind.
“I am completely helpless as I am talking with you now. I only look forward to God for assistance. The government has not intervened because they believe it is a communal clash.”
Much as he loved to live and possibly die in his hometown, the old man who is taking refuge in Odugbehan, a neighbouring community that is about 10 kilometeres away from Aila, was not elated when asked by this reporter if he would want to go back home soon. “There is no hope of when to go back home for now. We can’ t just contemplate going back home because the people that attacked us are still much around in our area. They are armed to the teeth and would not hesitate to murder anyone that crosses their path.
“The annoying thing is that a member of that clan that is attacking us is a public office holder. When the crisis started, he came and told us not run to away but we didn’t know it was a ploy to facilitate our extermination. We want the government to do something drastic about this to prevent further spilling our people’s blood. Enough is enough. We have never enjoyed quality period of peace all along. It has been crisis, from herdsmen’s attacks to attacks by members of our community. Enough of this,” he said.
Another member of the community, who gave his name as Seidu Adamu, was enveloped by emotion as he also narrated how his cousin was brutally murdered during the attack. “They burn my house and killed my cousin, called Ngbede. We were both running away from the assailants but he wasn’t as lucky as I was. They caught up with him and murdered him in his cold blood.
“My family is scattered now. I have lost my means of livelihood and don’t know how to survive. I have resorted to begging for food because there is no alternative for now. Our children have not been going to school. How can they go to school when we are talking about how to survive hunger and the unfortunate situation we have found ourselves?”
Seidu called on the government to make sure that justice is done to assuage the pains of victims of the communal clash.
A female, Rukiya Adamu, did not lose any of her relations in the attack but she is in deep sorrow as she still does not know the whereabouts of two of her children. The development, she said, causes her heartache because she is always thinking about them. “I still don’t know the whereabouts of two of my children. We all ran in different directions when the attackers came.
“How do I explain the disappearance of two children? I want my children back. I always imagine them calling and wondering why I am not responding to their calls. Their unknown whereabouts causes me heartache every minute because I am always pondering on where they could be and what they could be going through at the moment. The assailants have caused me untold sorrow. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the government to help me find my children.”
The embattled mother added: “The attackers also burnt our house and all our belongings. We have no roof to lay our heads if eventually we are asked to go back home today. Unfortunately for us, we can’t go back home because our land is a no go area for now. The killers are still there waiting for us to come back so that they can behead us.”
The wobbly sprinting from Aila to Agatu would remain indelible in the mind of Aishatu Megida. For a very long time, she had not had any reason to run over a long distance. But when the assailants stormed her area that fateful day, Aishatu said she didn’t know where the energy came from to do the 10-kilometer race to Odugbehan.
Her words: “I can’t count the number of times I fell down running from Aila to Odugbehan, which is about 10 kilometres. My body is full of injuries as a result of falling down at different times. Once I fell down, I would quickly stand up and continue running to avoid being caught and murdered by the blood-thirsty people who never care if their victims are children, women, elderly able of disabled.”
30-year-old Salatu Haruna expressed sadness for the return of mindless killing to the community. Sharing her experience, he said: “I was at home when they stormed the community and started shooting. I couldn’t wait to get my wife and children to escape with me. Each one of us fled the community without informing the other. We didn’t anticipate the attack at all.
“Most of us are yet to overcome the shock we suffered after the attack. We have lost the little we have been able to put together after the herdsmen attack. I feel so sad that this happening at a time we are hoping and praying that the days of bloodletting should not return to Agatu Local Government again.”
Apart from adults, some children also relived their narrow escape from the bloody-thirsty invaders. A seven-year- old girl, who gave her name simply as Patience, said: “ I ran into the bush when I heard gunshots. It didn’t even occur to me to look for my parents when the agents of death came knocking at our door. It was a terrible experience because I had to be waddling through the thick bush. Thorns were piercing my body but I just couldn’t stop because it was better for thorns to pierce me than for bullets to hit me.
“My pain is that we would not be able to write examinations for the term that is about ending. Our exams were to start at the beginning of the week but we can’t take part in it.”
It was also a tale of woe for eight-year-old Bartholomew who said he still hears the sounds of gunshots and always is traumatised by them. “When I heard the gunshots, I only saw my peers running and had to join them. We ran into the bush and kept running until we got to Odugbehan. I still feel like I am hearing sounds of gunshots. They traumatise me and I am scared of going back home. I feel the disturbing experience would continue to traumatise me.”
Giving a hint about the cause of the clash, a survivor, Bala Haruna, said: “The problem was caused by chieftaincy and land matters. We had no weapon to fight back or repel them when they came. All we could do was to flee our fatherland to avoid being killed. We are poor farmers who do not have the means to purchase weapons. All we can do is appeal to the government to intervene so that the challenge of insecurity in our community would come to an end.
“If the government does not intervene, they would continue to kill us. As we speak now, the academic life of our children has been badly affected because they can’t go to school not to talk of joining their peers to write promotion exams.”
But a leader of one of the clans, who did not want his name in print in a telephone interview with The Nation, said the clash was caused solely by chieftaincy tussle.
“It has been only one community that had been ruling. After sometime, the government came up with a law that established district heads that should rotate among the different communities making up Aila. But the clan that caused this recent problem refused to accept that principle of rotation and that has been the major contention up till now. We have about eight communities here. Seven agreed that the leadership of the community should be rotated but the eighth community refused.
“On one occasion, there was a burial ceremony here in Aila; the disgruntled clan invaded the burial venue and killed some people. The community consequently destroyed their houses and sent them out of the land.”
He added: “That was the situation until they, accompanied by other people from outside this area, invaded our town, Aila. The houses burnt were more than 100, while the number of people killed was eight. I am not aware of 10 people. The land problem is not in our area. It is an issue between two other towns.
“Somebody was arrested in connection with this attack but he has since been released. There is absolutely no peace as I speak with you. The invaders are still moving about with arms. Our children can’t go to school again. One of the secondary schools was also vandalised.”
Contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Kate Anene, said the command wasn’t aware that the disagreement in the area had become a full-blown crisis.
“What you are saying now was not reported to me as a crisis initially. What happened was that they went for a burial and they had a disagreement. They said the disagreement was because people who were not supposed to attend the burial attended it. So, if it had resulted in such a crisis that has led to the people running away, I am just hearing it from you”.
The PPRO also denied knowing that people were killed and houses burnt in Aila.
“I am not aware of it. The DPO sent me a situation report yesterday but he didn’t include that some people were killed. Haha! Hum! I will call him and find out. If that is true why should he not report it? I will find out.”