Niger State: 2 arrested as herdsmen, farmers clashes leave 10 dead
By Rotimi Akinola
Nigeria’s herdsmen crisis has claimed 10 more lives, reports say.
The people died in a clash between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Niger State last Thursday and Friday.
Armed herdsmen reportedly attacked farms in Bokuta village of Bosso Local Government Area and Tungan Malam village in the Paikoro LGA.
One of the attackers was reportedly killed and another injured as Bokuta villagers defended their lives and farms.
The attackers were reported to have invaded farms and destroyed crops as they set their cows on a grazing spree.
The herdsmen men reportedly returned to the area on Friday and killed five farmers to avenge the death of their colleague. Villagers said soldiers intervened before calm returned.
Armed attackers believed to be gunmen also killed four villagers in Tungan Malam, reports say.
Police said two people have been arrested in connection to the deadly clashes. Local leaders say they’re working with other Fulani herdsmen to avoid future incidents.
The deadly clashes happened hours before suspected herdsmen reportedly killed 81 people in Benue State.
President Muhammadu Buhari said in the past the clashes are “a perennial problem and we will look into it”. He later said he’s ordered Nigeria’s security agencies to deal with anyone attacking Nigerians farmers.
Buhari wants to pass a law that many say would strip lands from communities and hand them over to herdsmen so they could feed their cows.
Experts say it would be better for herdsmen to end their nomadic lifestyle and swift to raising their cows on ranches.
Nigeria’s minister of agriculture and rural development Audu Ogbeh promised that by 2018, the herdsmen-farmers clashes would have been resolved..
