Olayomi Koiki and Morakinyo Akinosun
Armed Fulani herdsmen, on Sunday, reportedly attacked a village in Nigeria’s southeastern state of Ebonyi, killing scores and burning down houses.
The assailants invaded Amegu village, Nkalaha community in the Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State in the wee hours of Sunday, killing several residents and setting houses ablaze, in what is believed to be a reprisal following a reported killing of cattle belonging to herdsmen in the area.
The chairperson of Ishielu local government area, Mrs Ifeoma Agwu, confirmed the attack, noting that bodies were still being recovered.
“We are taking the victims’ bodies to the mortuary right now. I cannot talk much on it now. We will give more details later,” Agwu told local news outlets.
A native of the area, Prof. Ndubuisi Idenyi, told The Punch newspaper: “I don’t have the number of casualties right now. We are still tracking and bringing out the dead bodies especially those killed in the farms”
A second source said a pastor of a Pentecostal church in the area was among those killed in the attack.
The source, who pleaded anonymity for fear of being identified, said the community members were not responsible for the killing of the cows.
“We did not kill their cows. The cows were killed by members of the Eastern Security Network in the forest.”
The Ebonyi State Police Command’s spokesperson DSP Joshua Ukandu confirmed the incident, stating that operatives have been deployed to the area.
“Yes, an attack occurred and police are responding to the situation. The command is still working to determine the precise number of people killed in the incident,” the police spokesman said.
The conflict between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria has been a longstanding issue, resulting in violence and loss of lives.
The Fulani people are believed to be the largest semi-nomadic group globally, found across West and Central Africa. In Nigeria, some continue to live as semi-nomadic herders, while others have moved to cities. Unlike city dwellers, the nomadic groups spend most of their lives in the bush and are often involved in clashes with farming communities, and also engage in kidnapping for ransom. They herd their animals across vast areas, frequently clashing with local farmers.
The herders now bear sophisticated weapons and use them to terrorize many parts of the country, with security operatives ignoring many of the attacks for allegedly not getting orders to go after the criminals.
Several brutal attacks happened under former President Muhammadu Buhari, who was born to a Fulani family on 17 December 1942, in Daura, a town in Katsina State, northwest Nigeria.
The continuous unprovoked attacks triggered resistance in South-East region, inhabited by Igbo people and South-West region, inhabited by the Yoruba people.
A Yoruba activist and philanthropist, Chief Dr. Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, demanded end to the attacks that have cost lives of thousands. He asked the Fulani people to vacate all the forests in South-West Nigeria.
As the Akoni Oodua of Yorubaland, he is known for fighting for the rights of the Yoruba people. He is currently advocating for a sovereign Yoruba country.
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