Two years ago, they attacked villages in Kogi State, especially Kogi East, the Igala speaking communities. The youth of Kogi East on the instructions of their traditional rulers were able to repel the attackers.
The next stop for the rampaging herdsmen was Benue, where they unleashed terror. Benue is very close to Kogi State as Kogi was carved out of the present day Kwara and Benue States in 1991 by the regime of General Ibrahim Babangia. While the attacks were going on in Benue, the people of Kogi became apprehensive given the proximity of the two states.
The herdsmen started with Agatu (Idoma land) before moving to the Tiv areas. The most pronounced was when over 70 people were killed at Guma and Logo local government area on January 1, 2018, as Nigerians were celebrating the New Year.
There was public outcry about the terror of the herdsmen. While a debate was on about cattle colonies, Yahaya Bello, Governor of Kogi State in February 2018 hurriedly donated 15,000 hectares of land to the Federal Government to be used as ‘cattle colony’. Many saw that move as a desperate one on the part of the governor to please President Buhari, who is a Fulani man like most of the herdsmen. Despite what many Kogi indigenes considered to be the governor’s inappropriate action, people are still being massacred in Kogi State by herdsmen.
A former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, while expressing disgust remarked that, “I sincerely hope that the Governor of Kogi State, who is a staunch supporter of Buhari, is clapping for himself. Those who ride on a tiger’s back usually end up in its stomach.”
Reacting to the development, Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan said, “Governors who want to know how herdsmen will show their gratitude if given land for cattle colony only have to look at Kogi where Yahaya Bello gave them 15,000 hectares. Last week (now two weeks ago) they showed gratitude by killing 25 people. Yesterday (March 19) again they said ‘thank you’ by killing 10 more.”
These latest killings came less than one week after the first major massacre in Dekina, Bassa and Omala local government areas of the state took place with more than 25 people killed. The governor promptly visited the scene and assured the people that it would not happen again. But a few days later, the herdsmen visited the people with yet another round of attack.
Last week Monday, nine persons, including a traditional ruler, were killed in attacks on Agbenema, Ajichekpa, Opada and Iyade villages, in Omala local government area of the state. Several houses were burnt in the process. The Onu of Agbenema, Musa Edibo and his wife were burnt in the palace, with the home of ex-Vice Chairman of Omala council, Adofu Stephen, also torched.
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The Next Edition learnt from some of the residents that the attackers hid in bushes around the villages. They later came out at night to unleash mayhem. They set houses ablaze and slit the throat of anyone they saw escaping the scene of the inferno. Luckily for the administrator of Omala, Ibrahim Aboh, he escaped the onslaught. The Next Edition gathered from a reliable source that residents said soldiers deployed to put an end to herdsmen attacks in the area allegedly refused to assist.
One of the residents said, “We were surprised when we approached soldiers at the Guest House at Abejukolo for help. They refused to act professionally and instead used their vehicle to block us from moving to the troubled spot to help our people.
“It is clear that the aim of the Fulani herdsmen is to kill us and take over our ancestral homes. They have razed Ojuwo, Ajomayeigbi, Iyade, Agbenema and Opada villages, so that they could use our land for their colonies.
“We want the world to come to our aid before the Fulani exterminate and inherit our land. We have lost confidence in the security agencies deployed here. We believe they have been instructed to adopt the ‘siddon look’ approach, while we are massacred.
“Right now, a coordinated war is raging simultaneously in most villages in Omala, Dekina and Bassa councils. Our people are being killed and houses being burnt. Our women are being raped while many children, who ran from the theatre of war are still missing.”
A traditional ruler who spoke with The Next Edition on the condition of anonymity for his safety said, “Please do not disclose my name. Nobody is sure who is behind these attacks. For my safety and that of my family my name shouldn’t be out there. The traditional leader that was killed with his wife was vocal against the herdsmen activities. It was an assassination. It was no coincidence. They went for their target. We ordered the youths to chase them away but now that the governor has invited them to come and graze, they are back with vengeance.
“When they kill residents in a particular community, the ones that are lucky to escape flee to neighboring communities, leaving behind their lands for the herdsmen. Those places that have been attacked have now become their colony. Their plan is to take over as many lands as possible for their grazing. It is a sad situation,” he said.
The Next Edition also gathered that villagers have moved to Anyingba, where the Kogi State University is located. That is because the herdsmen usually attack isolated houses. They hardly attack densely populated areas.
There have been condemnations from high ranking officials and promises to put an end to this menace. But the question is: how sincere are they? Is the political will there to stop the killings?
In Plateau State, for instance, there was a massacre before the recent visit of the President to the state. Barely a week after the president left, suspected Fulani herdsmen killed about 70 more people.
What appears to be a consensus opinion is that if sincere measures are not put in place by government to checkmate the murderous activities of herdsmen, the killings will continue.
