The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Suspected herdsmen

  • Suspected herdsmen ‘kill’ council secretary

    Suspected herdsmen have allegedly killed the secretary of Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The incident occurred on Wednesday near Olo town in Ezeagu Local Government.

    The deceased, identified as Nnamdi Ogueche, was said to have gone for a peace talk between the communities and the herdsmen who have been terrorising parts of Uzo-Uwani Local Government.

    It was gathered that the council secretary was in company of three others in a vehicle and were returning from the peace meeting when the suspected herdsmen attacked their vehicle.

    There was a stampede. The occupants of the vehicle jumped out and ran.

    The assailants were, however, said to have pursued the council secretary and shot him dead.

    Read also: Enugu PCRC parleys with new CP

    The fate of others was unknown last night.

    Contacted for comments, the Chairman of Uzo-Uwani Local Government, Mr. Fidelis Ani, confirmed the killing of the council secretary.

    Police Commissioner Sulaiman Balarabe, who confirmed the incident at a news briefing yesterday, said the deceased was ambushed.

    He said three suspects have been arrested.

     

  • Suspected herdsmen kill woman, 70

    Suspected herdsmen have killed a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Eunice Omoshola Komolafe, at Jege in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    The Nation learnt that the incident occurred on Wednesday.

    The killing of the woman, a mother of five, has caused uproar in the community and its environs.

    Residents said the killing of Mrs. Komolafe was the latest in a series of such dastardly acts by suspected herdsmen.

    Read also: CCT to resume hearing Monday in case against Onnoghen

    The deceased, according to a community leader and the National President, Jege Development Association, Dr. Folorunsho Foline Olayemi, was murdered on her way to farm.

    The residents urged the police commissioner and the commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to post their personnel to the community to ensure security of lives and property.

    Efforts to speak to the police proved abortive last night, as spokesman William Aya could not be reached.

     

  • Suspected herdsmen kill two farmers in Benue community

    Suspected herdsmen have reportedly killed two farmers at Iorza village in Gaambetiev, Logo Local Government Area in Benue Northeast Senatorial District.

    The victims are a fish farmer, Henry Zozo, and an Anyiin-based motorcycle mechanic, Emeka Egwu.

    The incident reportedly occurred at the weekend.

    Anyiin is the country home of former Governor Gabriel Suswam.

    Police spokesperson Moses Yamus, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told The Nation on phone that he was attending a course in Jos, the Plateau State capital, and had not got information on the killings.

    Narrating how the killings happened, a community leader and former Media Aide to Suswam, Chief Joseph Anawah said suspected herdsmen ambushed the two men on Anyiin-Wukari road and killed them.

    Anawah said communities in Gaambetiev were enjoying peace until the suspected herdsmen started returning with their cattle.

    He said armed herdsmen were camped at Arufu village, a settlement sharing boundary with Benue.

    The community leader urged security agents to protect lives and property of the residents.

    Logo Local Government Area has been under herdsmen attacks until Operation Whirl Stroke began operation.

  • Suspected herdsmen kill three in Benue

    Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed three farmers in Tse-Tyodugh, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, it was learnt yesterday.

    A community leader and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Job Tiza, who confirmed the killings, identified the deceased as Ormoba Tsebo, Mkarsha Kyaave and Aondofa Iorliam.

    Tiza said the farmers were killed about 7.30am on their way to the farm.

    According to him, four persons were riding on an okada when they were ambushed by suspected herdsmen who opened fire on them. Three died immediately while the surviving victim is on admission in the hospital.

    The community leader appealed to security agencies to live up to their responsibility of protecting life and property.

    Chairman of Logo council Richard Nyajo, who also confirmed the incident, dismissed reports by the military that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have returned home.

    Nyajo called on security agencies to tackle security challenges in the council.

    Police spokesman Moses Yamu said he was yet to get the report.

    “As we speak, those displaced persons have refused to return home because the herdsmen are still occupying the farm and communities,” he said.

  • Suspected herdsmen kill five in Taraba

    Four people were killed by herdsmen in Sabon Gida settlement of Donga local government area of Taraba State a few hours after military troops were withdrawn from the area, at the weekend.

    At Tunari, Donga,a man was hacked to death in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp. Three other IDPs have been reported missing after leaving the camp.

    Chairman of Donga local government Nashuka Ipeyen said the attack took place at Nashuka.

    Ipeyen noted that the killers would have razed the entire Sabon Gida village, but for the presence of some mobile police personnel in the area.

    He advised the IDPs to remain in camps until the security situation improved.

    Chairman of Takum local government,  Shiban Tikari, accused the military of trying to divert the attention of Nigerians.

    He described as laughable, the statement by the Army that one Danjuma America and Danasabe Gasama, arrested in the middle of the night in Takum recently, were perpetrators of crisis in Takum and Ussa local government areas of the state.

    Tikari said: “We have been crying on top of our voice that the Operatives of Exercise Cat Race were out for something.

    “How come they have not told Nigerians about the arrest of the mastermind of the attack in Jandeikyula in Wukari local government where over 32 people were killed?

    “They have not arrested those attacking and killing our people in the villages. The two boys they have arrested are indigenes of this area; Would they turn and be burning their houses and killing their own people?

    “We have told them the routes the attackers are using to attack us, but rather than go into these areas and arrest the armed militia, they have  been busy harassing our people in the town.

    Tikari said he had reported the matter to the military probe panel investigating Gen Theophilus Danjuma’s allegation that “the armed forces are colluding with the armed bandits that kill Nigerians.”

  • Suspected herdsmen kill varsity students, four others

    Suspected herdsmen have reportedly killed a student of the Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma in Edo State identified as Collins Ojierakhi.

    Collins was allegedly killed on Friday night by herdsmen at Ugboha village in Esan South East Local government.

    The deceased was said to be returning home from Uromi alongside his friends when they were attacked.

    All three of them were killed. The deceased was said to have just gained admission into the university.

    Father of the deceased, Festus Ojierakhi, who narrated the incident said: ”I am just confused. I was actually in the house eating at about 8pm and I started asking about my son who was not there. I was told he went to Uromi with his friends on a motorcycle.

    “It was around 9pm that the mother of my son´s friend started shouting, crying that herdsmen have killed her son.

    “I rushed out of the house and I asked about my son. I was told he died too with his friend.

    “We immediately detailed boys and ran to the place. When we got there we were told that the police have come to take the corpse to Ubiaja mortuary.

    “I was told my son and two others including the friend died. They said the other person that died is an Igbo person.

    “The information we heard was that as my son was driving home with his Okada, the herdsmen and their cattle blocked the road and they waited for them to leave the road.

    “Immediately they passed, some of their people in the bush opened fire on my son and his friends and they died at the spot.

    “I have been to the Area Commander office and they said they are investigating the matter. I don´t know what to do. This is a young boy that just entered university,” he lamented.

    At Odighi and Odiguete community in Ovia North East local government, herdsmen were said to have invaded the community yesterday and killed two persons.

    Other persons who were wounded in the attack were taken to the Benin Central hospital for treatment.

    Edo Police Commissioner, Johnson Kokumo, could not be reached for comments as his calls were unanswered.

     

  • Suspected herdsmen sack Akure council workers

    Suspected herdsmen sack Akure council workers

    Over 30 herdsmen brandishing weapons reportedly invaded Akure South Local Government secretariat yesterday and chased away the workers.

    The invasion of the herdsmen disrupted official activities at the council secretariat on Ilesa Road in Akure, the state capital, including marriage ceremonies at the council’s registry.

    Council workers were reportedly driven out of their offices by the herdsmen, who allegedly threatened to kill anyone who looked into their eyes.

    Sources said trouble started when a council worker warned a herdsman to take his cows away from the Agriculture Department’s vegetable farm behind the secretariat.

    The herdsman, a boy of about eight years, reportedly ignored the warning and allowed the cows to feed on the vegetables.

    It was learnt that when the local government worker attempted to make the boy direct the cows off the farm, the boy fell down.

    A source said an older herdsman, who was suspected to be the father of the boy and following him behind, saw what transpired.

    The older herdsman allegedly pulled out a sword and engaged the local government worker.

    It was learnt that the council worker, who also had a cutlass in his hand, engaged the herdsman.

    The source said while both men tussled, the herdsman was injured.

    The injured Fulani herdsman was said to have mobilised over 30 of his colleagues, who stormed the local government secretariat and sacked the workers from their offices.

    The herdsmen also reportedly went to the secretariat’s registry and sent away some couples holding marriage ceremonies.

    The Caretaker Chairman of Akure South Local Government Area, Mrs Margaret Atere, described the situation as scary.

    She called for prompt security action.

    The council workers fled their offices and vowed not to return until their security would be guaranteed.

    Police Commissioner Gbenga Adeyanju led men of his command to the secretariat to assess the situation while soldiers were also sighted on the scene.

    The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Security, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, was also at the secretariat to assess the situation.

    The police reportedly arrested the council worker and the herdsman who allegedly started the trouble.

  • Herdsmen remanded for killing expectant ‘mum’

    Herdsmen remanded for killing expectant ‘mum’

    The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned two suspected herdsmen – Namajo Mohammadu, 32 and Abubakar Abase, 18 – before an Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court for alleged murder and armed robbery.

    The department’s prosecutor, Mr Olaoluwa Olatunbosun, told the court yesterday that the defendants committed the offense on January 18 in Ido-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    He said the defendants, while armed with guns and other offensive weapons, killed a pregnant Tiv woman, Mrs Muwaga Felix, on her farm.

    Olatunbosun also said the duo allegedly committed armed robbery against the people of the community.

    According to him, the offence is punishable under sections 516, 402 and 319 of the Criminal Code.

    The defendants were not represented by any counsel and their plea was not taken as well.

    The prosecutor urged the court to remand the defendants in DSS custody pending the conclusion of investigations into their alleged crime.

    Chief Magistrate Ropo Adegboye ordered that the defendants be kept in DSS custody till the end of the investigation.

    He adjourned the matter till February 28 for mention

     

     

  • Suspected herdsmen burn Anambra youth centre

    Suspected herdsmen burn Anambra youth centre

    Suspected herdsmen yesterday burnt down the National Youth Development Center in Mgbakwu, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The office of the centre’s principal was affected in the inferno.

    The principal, Mrs. Grace Ogbuji, said she knew about the incident through a distress call.

    According to her, the caller alleged that herdsmen grazing their cattle at the centre started the fire.

    “She told me precisely that the fire was ignited by Fulani herdsmen. The three-bedroom flat in the centre was affected,” she said.

    Mrs. Ogbuji, who regretted that the centre had been under-utilised, appealed to the Federal and state governments to come to their rescue by rebuilding the affected structures.

    “Since the centre is located in Anambra State, the government should liaise with the Federal Government to ensure the centre is used for the purpose it was built for,” she added.

    An eyewitness, Chukwuma Nnenna, lamented that the property lost to the inferno was much because of the time the incident happened.

    His words: “The incident took us unawares because it occurred at an odd hour when it was almost difficult to put out the fire.

    “If the government had done the needful, this incident would not have happened. If the centre were functional, it would not have been engulfed by fire.”

  • Vigilance group apprehends suspected herdsmen with guns

    Vigilance group apprehends suspected herdsmen with guns

    A vigilance group at Igarra in Akoko-Edo Local Government of Edo State has apprehended nine suspected herdsmen, who have been terrorising residents.

    The suspects are said to have also attacked inhabitants of neighbouring communities.

    They were reportedly caught inside a Kaduna State-bound bus.

    People have been robbed and killed in the last two weeks in the local government.

    Last Saturday, a driver employed by a private school was shot dead on Igarra– Auchi road. A farmer was robbed by the suspected herdsmen on Igarra–Okpe road and escaped into the bush.

    At Igodi, a farmer identified as Jerome Ambrose, lost his right wrist while working on his farm after four suspected herdsmen attacked him.

    The vice chairman of Arewa community in the locality is still battling for life after he suffered head injuries inflicted on him by the herdsmen.

    He was attacked by suspected herdsmen, who called him to come and buy cows in the bush. His attackers used his phone to call contacts, demanding N30 million ransom.

    Luck ran out on nine of the herdsmen, as members of a vigilance group and youths in Okpe waylaid the vehicle they were travelling in.

    The vehicle, a Volkswagen, marked Kaduna MKA 555YJ, was intercepted on Igarra– Okpe road around 7am. The suspects were handed over to the police.

    Yesterday morning, youths from neighbouring communities besieged the police station at Igarra, demanding that the herdsmen be brought out for jungle justice.

    A source said a combined team of policemen from the Area Command in Auchi and soldiers from Nigerian Army School of Mechanical Engineering (NASME) prevented them from taking the suspects away.

    The witness said the youth wanted to use jungle justice because they were afraid that the police might release the herdsmen.

    He said: “The policemen usually mount checkpoints between Ago and Igarra. When we alerted them to the presence of herdsmen, they complained that they did not have enough petrol in their vehicle.

    “It took the efforts of vigilance groups from Igarra and Okpe and other youths to pursue the herdsmen into the bush before they were apprehended yesterday in a vehicle heading for an undisclosed location.”

    The Palace Secretary of Igarra, Elder Folorunsho Dania, said: “Today is Igarra market day, but many people did not go to the market for fear of attacks. Even churches closed early because of fear. But luckily around 7am on Igarra-Okpe road, vigilance groups accosted herdsmen. They were apprehended in their vehicle with cutlasses, guns and charms. We are living in fear. A few days ago, they chopped off the hand of a farmer at Ojah. They attacked a cattle farmer, Hassan. The man died two days ago.

    “Last week, the suspected herdsmen kidnapped three people from a mining site near Igarra. Up till now, their whereabouts are unknown. We appeal to the government and security agencies to rescue us.”

    Police spokesman Chidi Nwabuzor could not be reached for comments.