The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Northcentral Nigeria, Mr Paul Yakadi on Monday confirmed the occupation of a section of Agatu Local Government Area where marauding Fulani herdsmen last week killed over 300 indigenes and displaced over 7000 persons.
Yakadi said that the land left by fleeing Agatu people is now occupied by no fewer than 5000 cattle and Fulani herdsmen armed with sophisticated weapons.
Reports from the area indicate that the herdsmen have continued to kill the villagers despite President Buhari’s announcement of a security team to forestall further attacks.
Yakadi who led the police team
the ravaged communities, confirmed that seven villages, including Okokolo, Aila, Adagbo, Akwu, Omikuidi, Ocholonya and Odugbeho are completely deserted.
He said that the invaders attacked Agatu from Naka in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Loco and Doma in Nasarawa State.
“The worrisome renewed attack on the Agatu communities by Fulani herdsmen was as a result of the alarming influx of the herdsmen into the area through neighbouring towns of Naka in Gwer West local government area of Benue State, Loco and Doma of Nasarawa State, where cattle are made to swim across the water to Agatu. The Command, which was on an assessment tour of the area few days ago to identify areas that security needed to be beefed up, discovered Fulani herdsmen armed with sophisticated weapons with their cows numbering over 5,000.
“We saw a number of houses that were either burnt or destroyed and foodstuffs from these areas were looted and some were burnt. The team also discovered that the following villages; Okokolo, Aila, Adagbo, Akwu, Omikuidi, Ocholonya and Odugbeho were deserted with no trace of persons living there while three corpses were seen in Aila and Adagbo,” he said.
Credits: Vanguard
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