Herdsmen kill traditional ruler, wife, raze houses in coordinated attacks in Kogi
Suspected herdsmen have killed a traditional ruler, Musa Edibo, his wife and eight other persons in Kogi state on Monday.
Edibo, until his death, was the Onu Okenwu of Agbenema community.
The assailants also burnt down several houses during attacks on Agbenema, Aj’Ichekpa, Opada and Iyade villages, in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi state.
Locals say the attackers usually hid in the bushes to carry out deadly attacks.
Locals alleged that the herdsmen set houses ablaze and opened fire on the fleeing inhabitants. They also accused the herders of slitting their victims’ throats.
It was gathered that the traditional ruler, his wife and another person were killed in Agbenema community while the other casualties were recorded in the other three communities.
One local said “It is clear that the aim of the 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 and inherit our land. We have lost confidence in the security agencies posted to us, from their actions, we believed they have been instructed to adopt ‘siddon look’ while we are being massacred.
“Right now, 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 while many children who ran from the theatre of war were still missing.
“Since the attacks begun, we cannot go to the farms even markets have closed. Hunger has come to stay on our soil. If drastic measures are not done to quell this mad killings by these herdsmen, food insecurity will take over our land,” he lamented.
At least 50 persons were recorded killed between Tuesday and Thursday last week as suspected herdsmen attacked five communities in Igala part of of the state.
