At least ten people, including a traditional ruler, Onu Agbenema, Musa Edibo, and his wife, have been killed by suspected herdsmen in separate, fresh attacks on Agbenema, Aj’Ichekpa, Opada and Iyade villages in Kogi State on Monday.
Many houses were said to have been burnt.
The heavily armed herdsmen set the houses ablaze and opened fire on the fleeing inhabitants, slit some residents’ throats, and cut off parts of some of their victims, natives reported.
The attackers had reportedly hidden in the bush around these villages from where they later attacked.
It is gathered that the Administrator of Omala LGA, Ibrahim Aboh, narrowly death during the invasion. However, the houses of a former chairman of the council, Adofu Stephen, and that of his parents were burnt.
The natives allege that soldiers deployed in the areas to check killings by the herdsmen refused to stop the herdsmen.
One of the villagers, who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Punch, “We were surprised when we approached the soldiers, who were stationed at the guest house at Abejukolo for assistance; they ignored us and even blocked the road with their vehicle, preventing us from getting to the troubled spot to help our people.
“It is clear that the aim of the Fulani herdsmen is to kill us and take over our ancestral land. They have razed Ojuwo, Ajomayeigbi, Iyade, Agbenema and Opada villages so that they could use our land for cattle colonies.
“Most villages in Omala, Dekina, and Bassa LGAs are being attacked; our people are being killed and houses burnt down, even as our women are being raped while many children are missing.”
The Kogi Police Command is yet to comment on the attack
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