The Nation Newspaper

Tag: herdsmen

  • Sultan urges FG to probe sources of herdsmen weapons

    Sultan urges FG to probe sources of herdsmen weapons

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, has advised the Federal Government to probe the sources of weapons used by herdsmen accused of attacking Nigerian communities.

    Abubakar’s advice is contained in his Eid-el Fitr message delivered on Sunday in Sokoto.

    “Real herdsmen do not carry guns; they only move with their cows and sticks.

    “There could be bad eggs among the Fulani, but those carrying arms and perpetrating heinous killings are not herdsmen.

    “Those carrying arms are criminals and should be treated as such.

    “Government should probe the sources of these weapons and take appropriate action so as to minimise these attacks,” he said.

    Abubakar commended government’s measures aimed at combating insurgency in the north-east, and cautioned against complacency as the problem was not over.

    The Sultan urged Nigerians to complement the efforts of the security agencies toward securing the country, pointing out that security was a collective responsibility.

    He praised efforts by the federal and sokoto state governments to restore the lost glories of the educational and agricultural sectors, and called on Nigerians to support such efforts.

    The Sultan urged Muslims to reflect on, and uphold the virtues of the Ramadan fast that included patience, perseverance and brotherliness. (NAN)

  • Suspected herdsmen rape, behead woman in Edo

    Suspected herdsmen rape, behead woman in Edo

    A woman identified as Margaret Udiamehi has been raped and beheaded by suspected herdsmen at Ekpoma, Esan West local government area.

    The body of the victim was found on Tuesday night by a search party after she failed to return home from the farm while the police discovered her severed head on Wednesday morning at a different location.

    Angered by the brutal killing, women in the locality took to the streets of Ekpoma to demand expulsion of all herdsmen from the village and environs

    The protesters went to the palace of Onojie of Ekpoma and the Divisional Police headquarters to vent their anger.

    They said a woman earlier escaped from the herdsman who pursuit her but they took her cutlass.

    Speaking on behalf of the protesters, one of the women who gave her name as Grace said they were tired of watching strangers destroyed their crops, rape and kill women in the village.

    She called for government protection to allow them go to the farm.

    Daughter of the deceased who did not give her name said her mother left for farm in the morning and did not return home which made a search party to the organised to look for her.

    She said they searched through the night before her naked body was discovered at about 2am and her head chopped off.

    Divisional Police Officer in Ekpoma, SP Franklin Akanonu, who confirmed the killing assured the protesters that the killers would be apprehended.

    He urged the protesters to provide information that would help apprehend those behind the killing.

    Sources told our reporter that policemen were deployed to the Ujuelen camp of Fulani herdsmen to protect them from any possible reprisal attacks.

     

  • Edo to curtail menace of herdsmen

    Edo to curtail menace of herdsmen

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Sunday said his administration was working out measures to curtail the menace of Fulani herdsmen in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, a week ago, some cattle gained access to classrooms at Ohovbe Primary School at Ikpoba-Okha Local Council of the state.

    The pupils were said to have stayed outside for about one hour before the herdsman came to take the cattle out.

    Obaseki made the disclosure on the sidelines of a thanksgiving service at the Christ Embassy Church in Benin for his victory at the appeal Court.

    He promised that the state government would build fence around schools in the state to address the indiscriminate grazing of cattle in Schools’ premises.

    Obaseki ascribed his election as Governor of Edo to the Grace of God upon his life, adding that he would capitalise on that to develop the state.

    In his sermon, the Rev. Tom Amekhena commended the governor for his developmental leadership, stating that although he had never met him, he has heard of his good policies and projects in the state.

    He said, “we are seeing the burning desire you have not only to develop the state but also to transform it.”

  • Cows chase pupils out of classroom in Edo

    Cows chase pupils out of classroom in Edo

    Pupils of Ohovbe Primary School in Ikpoba-Okha local government area were on Tuesday chased out of their classrooms by cows.

    The pupils were said to have stayed outside for about one hour before the herdsman came to take them out.

    It was gathered that the herdsmen have turn the school to grazing ground and the cows used to hide inside the classrooms whenever it rains.

    The classrooms however were unkempt as there were no windows and doors. They oozed of cow dung.

    A part of the school perimeter fence has broken down which gave the herdsmen access to the school.

    Head teacher of the school, Mrs Emumen Mercy showed reporters a recent video, recorded by one of the school teachers.

    Mrs. Mercy said they have faced the predicament for many months and called on relevant agencies to save the children from danger.

    Some of the teachers said they have reported the activities to government officials but nothing was done about it.

    They claimed that the cows used to stay in the school field even when the pupils are playing during break.

     

  • Tiv community to herdsmen: you don’t own Benue

    The Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), the apex social-economic and political union of the Tiv Nation in Benue State, has warned Fulani herdsmen to stop claiming ownership of Tiv land.

    The group said claims by the leadership of the Fulani Cattle Breeders Association, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, that they founded Tiv land, was untrue and mischievous.

    The group’s president, Edward Ujege, at a news conference yesterday, called on Tiv natives to rise and protect their land from intruders.

    Ujege said the herdsmen claim was not only inciting and bellicose, but full of half truths, which is intended to aggravate the already challenging security situation in the country.

    His words: “The assertion by the group, that the Fulanis’ were the original inhabitants of the Benue valley, is ridiculous, preposterous and a complete falsehood.

    “There is neither historical, archaeological, nor anthropological evidence to indicate that the Fulanis’ ever inhabited the Benue Valley at any time before the advent of the Tiv people.

    What is a veritable and verifiable historical fact is that the forces of the 1804 Islamic Jihad, led by Uthman Dan Fodio, were defeated at the Ushongo hills in Tiv land. That explains why Islam could not be imposed on the Tiv people, nor Emirs appointed to rule Tiv land.

    “The recent claim by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, that they were in the Benue Valley before the Tiv, is ridiculous; it is a tissue of lies concocted from the pit of hell to support a desperate and diabolical claim on Tiv ancestral lands.

    “Knowing who the Fulanis’ are, and their penchant for changing historical narratives to benefit their designs, we are not surprised. They have severally attempted to hoist a post-jihad narrative of Northern Nigeria’s identity, which seeks to conscript Northern minorities into a monolithic North in which they are a mere footstool for the caliphate.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Fulanis’ claim of having settled in the Benue Valley before the Tiv is a lie, because their attempt to change the narrative at this belated time confirms our suspicion that their interest in the Benue Valley is more than the grass they seek for their cattle.

    “It is a devious strategy to secure illegal rights to Tiv ancestral lands, in order to exploit the political and religious opportunities that come with such rights.

    “We challenge the Fulani to tell the world where and when the Tiv displaced them in order to settle in the Benue Valley.”

  • Killer herdsmen in Edo are fleeing terrorists – Obaseki

    Killer herdsmen in Edo are fleeing terrorists – Obaseki

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that suspected herdsmen raping and killing women in the state were terrorists that fled from fighting in the North Eastern part of Nigeria.

    Two elderly women identified as Christiana and Matina were last week raped and killed at their various farms by the suspected herdsmen in Ewu community, Esan Central local government.

    Earlier in March this year, traditional ruler of Ekperi, HRH Deke Yakubu Kanoba, the Ijiegbai of Ekperi, raised alarm that his subjects may not go to farm this farming season over presence of suspected runaway book haram members at a forest in his locality.

    The Ijiegbai of Ekperi who spoke at meeting of Eminent Persons Forum with the State Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu said that the men at the forest were armed with AK47 riffles.

    Governor Obaseki who spoke Thursday when he visited families of the slain women described the incident as a national security threat.

    Obaseki told the people that the killers were not ordinary herdsmen but Boko Haram fighters who fled from the war in the North East.

    He assured the people that his administration would deal with the menace within the next few weeks as he has ordered security to be beefed up in the area from the boundaries of Kogi State.

    His words, “These are not just herdsmen, they are Boko Haram terrorists but we are working hard to put an end to this.

    “In a matter of weeks, we are coming out with certain measures to stop these attacks. We will rely on timely accurate information from all communities. I am going to see the Inspector General of Police on this matter.

    “Don’t be scared of going to your farms. We have stepped up security in this area from Kogi State.”

    Governor Obaseki who promised to ensure autopsy are conducted on the corpses also visited Ehimen Abuya, one of the villagers at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, who was allegedly shot at by soldiers during a protest against the killing of the two women.

    Ehimen, whose leg would soon be amputated, told the governor they were on a peaceful protest against the herdsmen attack when they were shot at by soldiers.

    Obaseki promised to pay the medical bills, provide artificial lower limb and give adequate assistance to integrate him back to the society.

    Spokesman for the community, Sydney Ikhajiagba, said members of the community were now living with fear and that the women were now scared of going to farms.

    “When we got to the farm, we saw her naked and worms coming out of her mouth. She was dragged to the place where she was raped and killed. It was a pathetic sight. Such a thing has never happened in Ewu town.”

     

  • Senators raise alarm over herdsmen rampage in Edo

    Senators raise alarm over herdsmen rampage in Edo

    …Two women killed, four women raped

     

    The Senators representing Edo Central and Edo North Senatorial Districts, Clifford Ordia and Francis Alimikhena, Wednesday raised the alarm over the rampaging activities of herdsmen in Edo State.

    While Ordia told the Senate that suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked two villages in Edo Central where they raped and strangulated two women to death, Alimikhena informed his colleagues that the ravaging herdsmen raped four women in his constituency.

    Ordia said that the women were killed in community called Ewu, Edo Central on May 22, 2017.

    The lawmaker in a motion entitled “Need to curtail the activities of Fulani Herdsmen in Edo State,” lamented that the Federal Government appeared to have left the people to their fate.

    Senator Ordia said: “These ravaging herdsmen entered into a farmland located in Ewu Community, Esan Central Local Government of Edo State raping two women, Mrs. Martina Emoyon and Mrs. Ariu and strangled them to death, destroyed crops and sacked a lot of persons from their various farmlands.

    “Consequent upon these criminal activities of the Fulani herdsmen, the youths of Ewu engaged in a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the problem.

    “Sadly one Ehimen Donald Abuya was shot and the victim is presently lying critically ill at Irrua Specialist Hospital.

    “Since this destructive attack, it has been observed that no farmer in the communities have engaged in farming activities for fear of being killed.

    “I am concerned about the heinous and criminal activities being perpetrated by Fulani Herdsmen who in the violent act of ravaging communities, depriving persons of right to life and prosperity, raping, defiling women and destroying farms crops amongst other criminal activities across the country.

    “Despite the public outcry and previous resolutions of the National Assembly as regards the criminal activities of herdsmen, there seems to be no visible action on the part of government to curtail, abate or totally stop the criminal activities of these criminal elements among Fulani Herdsmen.”

    The lawmaker who quoted section 33(1) of chapter (iv) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Senator Ordia said “every person has a right to life and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in the execution of a court sentence in respect of criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.

    “The Africa Chapter on Human and Peoples Right of which Nigeria is a signatory also provides for Right to Life and Respect for Integrity of Persons, Freedom from Slavery, Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading treatment

    “Section 43 of the constitution provides that every citizen shall have a right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria.

    “The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) in section 14(b) clearly provides that the Security and Welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

    He warned that the situation might get worse if drastic action was not taken to curtail the activities of Fulani herdsmen.

    He said, “We cannot continue to live like this in the country. The herdsmen did not only rape the women but went ahead to strangulate them. The Federal Government, should as a matter of urgency, step in and curb the criminal activities of these herdsmen.

    Senator Alimikhena on his own said that the four women were raped in a community in his Senatorial District.

    The Edo North lawmaker lamented that the herdsmen have taken over highways and farmlands in the area making vehicular movement difficult.

    He appealed to the Senate to intervene and stop the carnage in his area.

    The Senate asked security agencies “to halt, apprehend and bring to justice the criminal elements posing as herdsmen who derive pleasure in destroying lives and properties across Nigeria.”

    An ad-hoc committee already set up by the Senate and chaired by Senator Kabiru Gaya, to investigate activities of Fulani herdsmen in the country was mandated to include recent attacks in Edo State.

     

  • Herdsmen, community excited over ranch promise

    It was a day of excitement yesterday in Anambra by the herdsmen and a community, following a promise by Mr. Godwin ChukwunenyeEzeemo to build a ranch for them in the state.

    The State Leader of Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) in Anambra State, Mr. Godwin ChukwunenyeEzeemo, said the clashes between the herdsmen and communities in the state had become unbearable.

    He said that building a ranch for the herdsmen would bring to a stop conflicts between farmers and the herdsmen.

    Ezeemo spoke yesterday in Mmiata, Anambra West Local Government Area, during an interactive session with some indigenous ministers from the community who said the activities of herdsmen was becoming worrisome.

    Corroborating the ill feelings of the indigenous ministers, Ezeemo decried the environmental and economic problems herdsmen activities pose on the people and assured that he would insist on building a ranch for herdsmen which he described as a socially acceptable means of transporting cattle into a state.

    He said the ranches must be regulated and taxes would be paid for every cattle, adding that the herdsmen would have proper living quarters built for them.

  • Court remands seven for shooting Herdsman, Killing four cows

    Court remands seven for shooting Herdsman, Killing four cows

    An Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday ordered the remand of seven men in prison custody over alleged suspected terrorism act.‎

    Police prosecutor, Sgt. Bankole Olasunkanmi, told the Court that the suspects committed the offence on May 19 in Igogo Ekiti in Moba Local Government Area of the state.

    The seven accused persons are Bamisaye Kehinde (35), Sunday Oladele (24), Bamisale Olawale (37), Obembe Richard (30), Tunde Agbetoye (39), Afolayan Sunday (30) and Onipede Michael (28) who are all indigenes of Igogo-Ekiti.‎

    Olasunkanmi alleged that, the suspects were suspected to have terrorised the community unlawfully in an attack that disturbed the peace at Igogo-Ekiti.

    He said that they were docked for being suspected to have terrorised Igogo community by unlawfully engaged in an act to unduly compel Government of Ekiti State to perform an act.

    Governor Ayo Fayose ordered the arrest and prosecution of seven men said to have allegedly attacked a herdsmen, simply identified as Ibrahim and killing four of his cows.

    The accused shot the herdsman with a local rifle but he did not die. They succeeded in killing four cows in his herd in a violence that rocked the community.

    The prosecutor said the offence committed was punishable under Section 11 of Kidnap and Terrorism Law, Laws of Ekiti State 2015.‎

    Olasunkanmi subsequently applied for a date of adjournment to enable him duplicate the case file and sent to Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

    The plea of the suspects were not taken, while their counsel, Busuyi Ayorinde, expressed the intention of seeking their bail at the high Court.‎

    The Chief Magistrate, Idowu Ayenimo, ordered that the suspects should be remanded in prison, till the outcome from DPP office.

    He adjourned the case to June 1 for mention.‎

  • Panic as herdsmen kill two in Rivers community

    Suspected Fulani herdsmen have killed two persons at Afam Uku in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    Seven suspects have reportedly been arrested over the incident.

    At the time of filing this report last night, the reason behind the attack could not be ascertained.

    Community sources said the attack might have resulted from the resistance of the victims against the destruction of their farms by the herdsmen’s cattle.

    Oyigbo Local Government Area’s Caretaker Chairman Dr Chisom Gbali confirmed the incident.

    The council chief said the deceased, both male, were killed on their farms.

    He said: “We woke up this morning to hear the story of killing of two persons by Fulani herdsmen. I don’t actually know the reason for the killings. But I believe it has to do with the destruction of farm crops by the herdsmen’s cattle.

    “The victims, I learnt, questioned the motive behind the destruction of their crops by the herdsmen’s cattle. There might have been hot exchanges between the victims and the herdsmen. One of the victims was from Tai.”

    Dr Gbali said seven persons had been arrested over the incident.

    Police spokesman Omoni Nnamdi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told reporters he had not been briefed about the incident.