Suspected youths from Oforachi community in Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State, have allegedly killed four herdsmen and dumped their bodies in the Ofu rivers.
It was gathered the attack was in response to the killing of 65-year-old Godwin Egbunu in his farm.
An eyewitness, Audu, who claimed that the incident happened last Friday, said that the farmer was attacked by some herdsmen who invaded his farm land and destroyed all the crops.
According to him, the farmer went to station where two policemen were asked to go with him to the farmland.
But on getting there, the suspected herdsmen attacked the latter, right in presence of the policemen and killed him.
Angered by the killing of the farmer, the youths killed four herdsmen in retaliation while the policemen said they could not stop the killing of the farmer because they were unarmed.
A resident said that members of the community can no longer close their eyes but are keeping vigilance to forestall any retaliatory attacks.
Communities close to Oforachi, including Ogbogbo, Odolu, Akpanya, are said to be living in fear for fear of possible reprisal attack by the herdsmen.
The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Williams Aya, in a statement confirmed the incident.
According to him: “On the 18th of this month (January 2020), at about 0700hrs, information was received from Oforachi, that unknown persons suspected to be herdsmen killed one Godwin Egbunu, aged 65, of same addressed, at his farm and as a result angry youths from the village began attacking any Fulani on sight.”
He said SUPOL stationed at Ajaka immediately mobilised his personnel to the scene and rescued two herdsmen from the mob but was seriously injured.
Aya, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, said that the injured herdsmen were rushed to Isah Hospital for treatment.
“Area Command Idah equally mobilised personnel from divisions under his command, while PMF SARS operatives reinforced the team on the ground.
“Normalcy have been restored. They took the photographs of the corpse and was taken to general hospital mortuary for autopsy as investigation continue,” he stated
He also said one Mohammed Arade, a Fulani, of Egabada village reported at the Ajaka police station that two of their men namely Abubakar Nahare, 65, and Hassan Natunku, 60, have not been seen since when the incident happened.
He said that a search party led by the Acting Area Commander, Idah, immediately swung into action, as the corpse of the two missing herdsmen were recovered from inside the Ofu River at Oforachi, with their hands tied into nine inches block.
He said that the photographs of the deceased were taken and their corpse taken to general hospital mortuary for autopsy, as investigation continues. (The Nation)
