“Six more shallow graves, where our boys were buried, have been discovered by our gallant boys.”
of Uwheru kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.This latest attack that has triggered rhetoric of genocidal killings by the Urhobo Progressive Union and other stakeholders was one of the bloodiest incidents perpetrated by nomadic herdsmen in the South-South region, who have wreaked havoc in Delta, Rivers, Edo, Delta and Akwa Ibom States in recent times.
At the hostility, several corpses including those of eight farmers had been recovered from shallow graves where they were hurriedly dumped by the marauding herdsmen. Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, who hails from the Uwheru, told The Guardian that the herdsmen killed several persons and buried them in shallow graves, perhaps, to cover up.
Former president-general of the Uwheru Community Development Association, Ogarivi Utso, explained that the nomadic herdsmen always arrive the community during the dry season, especially around November of every year in several trailers loaded with cows, and take over the open lands, ponds and farmlands and barred indigenes from entering their land.
Meanwhile, the consistent infiltration of Uwheru by heavily armed Fulani herdsmen have continued to create hardship, pains and difficulties for the harmless natives. The State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, had condemned the attack on Uwheru communities. He described the killing of innocent people in the affected communities as unwarranted and wicked. According to him, the suspected herdsmen alleged to be aided by unidentified military personnel, were mindless.
Before last weekend’s attack, Abraka had long been overwhelmed by the persistent attacks of armed herdsmen. Many people were reported killed in their farms. Farmers abandoned their farmlands, causing the astronomic rise in the price of staples like Garri and yam. “We now enjoy peace as the herdsmen were making life unbearable for our people. Not only will they destroy our crops and climb palm trees to drink our palm wine, they were also raping our women. People were scared from entering their farms since after the rainy season in November last year when they invaded our farmlands. We pray they don’t return again,” he said.
“To forestall breakdown of law and order in the community, a stakeholders’ meeting was held at my palace sometime ago, where it was agreed that peace and order should reign between the herders and the host community,” he said.States in the South-South region have been struggling to contain clashes between sedentary farmers and herdsmen, whose militant posture have been source of concern to governments and people of the region.
“I am just confused. I was actually in the house resting at about 8 p.m. and I started asking about my son who was not there. I was told he went to Uromi with his friends on a motorcycle. It was around 9 p.m. that the mother of my son´s friend started shouting, crying that herdsmen have killed her son. I rushed out of the house and I asked about my own son. I was told he died too with his friend.
“They killed our person in the bush. We called in the police so that we can retrieve the body but they attacked again and killed a policeman. The government should come to our aid. Herdsmen are terrorising us. We need help so that we can go to our farms.”Farmers at Igbanke community in Orhionmwon local government of the State have also not been spared in the gruesome killings as the farmers have also protested destruction of the crops by herdsmen.
He was said to have been shot by the suspected herdsmen in the Okada area, while returning to Benin City, the Edo state capital.It was gathered that Oaikhena, aged 34, was returning from a hospital where he had conducted a successful surgery when he ran into an ambush by the suspected herdsmen in 2019.
“I went to the police and they told me that I should call them whenever the herdsmen called for ransom payment. I did that but there was no response from the police. The two workers that escaped told us that the herdsmen told my father that he was one of those killing their cows. Between August and September 2019, the State witnessed two major attacks in Ukanafun and Mkpat Enin local government councils. Although, there has not been any attack afterwards, the government, respective communities, are not resting in their oars to guide against any upsurge of the nefarious activities of herdsmen, especially now that there are reports of such heinous acts in some states in the South-South states.
“This is farming period we will certainly have issues with them once their animals continue to go on their own. Again, it is not only the Fulani people that are in the business, most Akwa Ibom people have developed the habit of rearing cattle in many communities, so it is not only about the Fulanis. Any law put in place should be holistic so that, indigenes doing the business will be culpable should they go against the law.
Community sources said herdsmen usually invade the area during the dry season to feed their cattle. The attack on Obio Usiere, had forced residents to desert it, and caused women to abandon their farms because they fear they might be raped.Similarly, two people were killed in 2017 in Afam community in Oyigbo Government Areas in Rivers State by herdsmen.
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