There has been a bloodbath in Benue state, following
a fatal clash between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Oju local
government area of Benue state.
The clash which took place on Sunday, December 6, has caused many of the residents to flee from the area.
Eyewitness say the chaos erupted in the community after the locals mobilised themselves and besieged a Fulani settlement in the area.
The essence of the mobilisation was to stop a large herd of cattle and herdsmen from gaining access into the village, said a witness.
“The herdsmen and the cattle were moving into the village in large numbers to seek better pasture, but feeling threatened by the presence of the herdsmen, the villagers put up a blockade and asked their visitors to return to where they were coming from.
“There was resistance and a crisis ensued that snowballed into a clash that left three villagers killed and several person injured with some others unaccounted for,” the unnamed witness told This Day.
Adding : “It was when the villagers discovered that two of their youths were killed and another that was earlier declared missing was also found to have been killed by the intruders, that they launched a reprisal on the Herdsmen, killing and beheading three of them.
“As we speak, the Herdsmen are deserting the community while the farmers are also fleeing their villages, though security has been beefed up in the area.”
However, when the police was contacted, spokesman for the force, Moses Yamu, said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.
Meanwhile, recent attacks by Fulani herdsmen has caused certain communities to take precautionary measures to ensure that the herdsmen are barred from entering their territories.
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| A bloody clash between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Benue state has left six dead and some others injured. (file photo). |
Eyewitness say the chaos erupted in the community after the locals mobilised themselves and besieged a Fulani settlement in the area.
The essence of the mobilisation was to stop a large herd of cattle and herdsmen from gaining access into the village, said a witness.
“The herdsmen and the cattle were moving into the village in large numbers to seek better pasture, but feeling threatened by the presence of the herdsmen, the villagers put up a blockade and asked their visitors to return to where they were coming from.
“There was resistance and a crisis ensued that snowballed into a clash that left three villagers killed and several person injured with some others unaccounted for,” the unnamed witness told This Day.
Adding : “It was when the villagers discovered that two of their youths were killed and another that was earlier declared missing was also found to have been killed by the intruders, that they launched a reprisal on the Herdsmen, killing and beheading three of them.
“As we speak, the Herdsmen are deserting the community while the farmers are also fleeing their villages, though security has been beefed up in the area.”
However, when the police was contacted, spokesman for the force, Moses Yamu, said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.
Meanwhile, recent attacks by Fulani herdsmen has caused certain communities to take precautionary measures to ensure that the herdsmen are barred from entering their territories.
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