No fewer than seven people are feared dead following an attack on Kudu community in the Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Kudu, mostly inhabited by Gbagyi farmers, experienced an armed militia attack on Sunday, resulting in casualties and widespread destruction.
A confidential source revealed to LEADERSHIP that numerous houses were set ablaze, displacing an undisclosed number of households during the assault.
Another source attributed the incident to the encroachment of the Bassa group on a community where Gbagyi people have settled for farming activities, escalating tensions that had been simmering for an extended period.
The long-standing conflict between the Igbirra and Bassa ethnic groups in the affected Local Government Area has persisted for many years, leading to the displacement of the Bassa from various communities in Toto.
Governor Abdullahi Sule has announced plans to address the security breaches, noting the necessity of intervening in the situation. While security agencies have been deployed to the area, the governor intends to convene a meeting involving Gbagyi, Egbirra, and Bassa communities to address existing distrust and acrimony.
“The security agencies have already moved in there, and we will be able to get to the bottom of it. But most importantly, the moment we return from Abuja, we are going to have a meeting of the Gbagyi community, the Egbirra, and Bassa communities so that at the end of the day, we have to bring this to an end. It cannot go on in this unfortunate circle,” he stated.
Our correspondent attempted to contact the state police authority for additional information, but the Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, was unavailable to respond to calls.
