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Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have killed scores of farmers and set houses ablaze in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
It was learnt that the suspected Fulani herdsmen, attacked residents of Awe, a border community of both Nasarawa and Benue states, and killed many people in the area.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the unfortunate incident has been going on for the past four days.
It was gathered that a number of farm settlements cutting across Awe and Keana Local Governments Areas of the state, were reduced to rubbles by the rampaging Fulani herdsmen who were said to be armed with sophisticated weapons.
In an interview with our correspondent in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, on Thursday, the President of Tiv Development Association in the state, Mr. Benard Kyegna, said, “On New Year Day, a man was macheted to death at Gidan Wurji in Awe Local Government Area while moving his farm produce to Awe town.”
He, however, added that another killing took place on the New Year Day when some unidentified armed gunmen were returning from Benue State where they had gone to kill people. Kyegna said they killed the man they saw in his compound along the Awe – Tunga Road, in Awe council area of the state.
He said, “We also got a report that two farmers were reportedly murdered at Bakin Kortaa, a border settlement which is about 12 kilometres from the Benue/Nasarawa border at about 7pm. Also a report in my village (Kwarra), in Keana Local Government Area, has it that the marauding herdsmen equally gunned down three farmers while working on their farm.”
Our correspondent further learnt from a victim, Mr. Terzungwe Tachin, who narrowly escaped death by the whiskers in the hands of the killer herdsmen, that about eight farmers had so far been killed in different areas in the aforementioned two council areas of the state.
He, however, gave the names of locations where the eight people were killed by suspected herdsmen as Tse Kwaghtser – Tunga settlement, Kuduku, Nyashashu, Obosidoma and Kaambe-Jangaru.
However, the Nasarawa State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Kennedy Idirisu, who confirmed the crisis, said that only one person was killed during the attack.
Similarly, a joint security meeting of the military, police and paramilitary agencies was convened in Lafia over the ongoing killings in both Benue and Nasarawa states.
Briefing newsmen immediately after the security meeting that lasted for seven hours, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, Mr. Habila Joshak, stated that those behind the killings in Benue State would be brought to justice.
It was learnt that the suspected Fulani herdsmen, attacked residents of Awe, a border community of both Nasarawa and Benue states, and killed many people in the area.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the unfortunate incident has been going on for the past four days.
It was gathered that a number of farm settlements cutting across Awe and Keana Local Governments Areas of the state, were reduced to rubbles by the rampaging Fulani herdsmen who were said to be armed with sophisticated weapons.
In an interview with our correspondent in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, on Thursday, the President of Tiv Development Association in the state, Mr. Benard Kyegna, said, “On New Year Day, a man was macheted to death at Gidan Wurji in Awe Local Government Area while moving his farm produce to Awe town.”
He, however, added that another killing took place on the New Year Day when some unidentified armed gunmen were returning from Benue State where they had gone to kill people. Kyegna said they killed the man they saw in his compound along the Awe – Tunga Road, in Awe council area of the state.
He said, “We also got a report that two farmers were reportedly murdered at Bakin Kortaa, a border settlement which is about 12 kilometres from the Benue/Nasarawa border at about 7pm. Also a report in my village (Kwarra), in Keana Local Government Area, has it that the marauding herdsmen equally gunned down three farmers while working on their farm.”
Our correspondent further learnt from a victim, Mr. Terzungwe Tachin, who narrowly escaped death by the whiskers in the hands of the killer herdsmen, that about eight farmers had so far been killed in different areas in the aforementioned two council areas of the state.
He, however, gave the names of locations where the eight people were killed by suspected herdsmen as Tse Kwaghtser – Tunga settlement, Kuduku, Nyashashu, Obosidoma and Kaambe-Jangaru.
However, the Nasarawa State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Kennedy Idirisu, who confirmed the crisis, said that only one person was killed during the attack.
Similarly, a joint security meeting of the military, police and paramilitary agencies was convened in Lafia over the ongoing killings in both Benue and Nasarawa states.
Briefing newsmen immediately after the security meeting that lasted for seven hours, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, Mr. Habila Joshak, stated that those behind the killings in Benue State would be brought to justice.
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