Life may never be the same for the people of Ukemberagya, Gaambetiev, in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State following the series of attacks constantly being launched on them by hoodlums suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.
For the past two years, the residents have hardly slept with their two eyes closed as they are constantly keeping vigil to avoid being dispatched to their early graves by the rampaging herdsmen. The assailants, it was learnt, always attacked their victims with cutlasses, charms and other sophisticated weapons.
The embattled residents told The Nation that the number of widows, widowers and orphans in the area automatically rises every time the assailants strike. They kill, maim and set buildings ablaze, thus rendering their surviving victims homeless, the residents said.
No fewer than 40 members of the area were murdered recently when the hoodlums invaded the area, which is Governor Gabriel Suswam’s immediate community, while about 7,000 persons have been displaced. They have fled to adjoining towns for safety .
Fresh trouble started for the inhabitants who are predominantly farmers on January 16 when the attackers, armed with dangerous weapons, took hold of the community and unleashed terror on the citizens. The siege continued till January 20, after which a serious havoc had been wreaked.
Mrs. Mzamber Akaaber is one of the victims, who would not forget the attack in a hurry, as she lost her husband and two sons (only children) during the attack. She was still grieving and weeping uncontrollable when our correspondent visited her.
She recounted that the the gun men numbering over 100 stormed their village while they were fast asleep and started shooting indiscriminately at every house and everything that crossed their path.
“We were in deep sleep when they came. It was the reverberating sounds of their gun shots that woke us. When we heard the gunshots, we needed not to be told what was wrong. We knew immediately that the herdsmen were around again and started dashing out of our various houses in a bid to escape and save our their dear lives.
“ The gunmen caught up with many and hacked them to death one after the other. Unfortunately, my husband and two children, who incidentally are my only children, were brutally murdered in the process. I luckily escaped and had my life saved from the blood-thirsty gunmen, ” she narrated.
She told The Nation that her family came under similar attack last year but were lucky to have escaped unscathed. She said they were just recovering from the shock of the attack and preparing to clear the land in readiness for the next farming season when the second attack occurred.
She appealed to the state governor to provide adequate security to enable them return to their homes and farm to avoid starving to death if they are eventually not able to till the soil and plant crops within the year.
A community leader in Ukemberagya ,Hon. James Zasha, told The Nation that the Fulani herdsmen operate mostly in the cover of darkness. After each attack, he said the assailants always retreat into thick forest from where they always prepare for fresh attacks.
He said: “The invaders are often armed with sophisticated weapons, and Ukemberagya communities are helpless and cannot withstand their fire power. They have taken over our farmlands for their cattle to graze .
“Primary and secondly schools in the area, including hospitals and markets, are closed as most of the victims of the attacks have fled to safety. The Abinsi-Wukari federal highway has also been deserted and economic activities grounded. It is really worrisome.”
There is likelihood of food crisis in the area as rainy season approaches as the entire Ukemberagya/Tswarev ward, which is populated by peasant farmers, have been taken over by Fulani herdsmen who have turned their farmlands to a grazing land for their cattle.
A visit to the community showed that the apprehensive members of the area have abandoned their homes for fear of further attacks by the gunmen. They are currently taking refuge in various Internally Displaced Persons( IDP) camps.
Checks also revealed that many children and women in the area have been repeatedly afflicted by various ailments like fever, typhoid and cholera.
The villages that have been mostly deserted as a result of the bloody attacks are Chembe, Tse Mue, Oragbai, Tyonenge, Tse Akpamegh, Mou, Mbazantyom, Mgbakpa, Torjem Ager, Ikyukyundu, Uhemba Ayungu and Atoga.
Last year, Ukemberagya , along other Gaambetiev clans and other villages like Ayilamo, Tse Dzungwe, Tse Ibwar ,Adzege, Uzer and Tiza villages in Tombo war, came under heavy attacks by Fulani militia, who killed and set houses and farms ablaze.
Governor Suswam last week visited the area and gave N5 million and other relief materials to the victims. He also set up a committee to rebuild Ukemberagya communities and other settlements that were affected during the attack.
The governor’s gesture has, however, attracted strong criticism from residents of Tombo community in the same Gaabetiev clan which came under similar attacks last year. They have expressed concern that the same treatment was not given to them by the governor when Fulani herdsmen invaded their community to kill their kinsmen and destroy their homes and farms.
The spokeperson for Tse Dzungwe, Comrade Terwase Uja, told The Nation that it was wrong for Governor Suswam to ignore the people of Tombo ward when they came under heavy attack, but immediately rushed to Mbayongo, who are his immediately community and gave them money aside from setting up a committee to rebuild their houses.
As at the time of filing this report, soldiers have been drafted to the affected area to watch over the community .
