Heavily armed gunmen on Sunday attacked travellers on the desolate Takete Ide to Aghara Road in Kogi State, inflicting severe injuries and dispossessing them of their valuables.
The Ak-47-wielding suspected Fulani marauders, numbering about a dozen, were said to have seized the road in the afternoon and operated till evening. They harassed unfortunate wayfarers, detained, and forcefully collected their properties. Those who resisted were tortured to compliance.
When the unsuspecting residents of Takete Ide, a peaceful agrarian community in Mopamuro local government, got intelligence on the attack, at about 6 pm, they quickly organised a resistance to dislodge the bandits from their reported location at the bank of Eba River.
Local hunters led by the Olu-Ode were promptly drafted to the spot. However, according to a source in the community, the gunmen had changed location and advanced towards the village. Ultimately, the defending hunters were ambushed by the bandits, leading to an inevitable exchange of bullets.
Three of the hunters sustained gun wounds, and one was declared missing in the night operation, while the attackers were forced to a hasty retreat. By dawn this Monday, the missing hunter resurfaced to a rousy welcome in the village.
The attack has created panic and a sleepless night in the community, with stakeholders calling on law enforcement agencies to come to the aid of the farming community. Prince Dare Fiki, the president of Takete Ide Progressive Union, TIPU, made frantic efforts to reach out to sons and daughters of the area for a harmonised response and urged governments at all levels to come to their support.
Kogi State commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, said the government is on top of the situation. He disclosed that Governor Ododo had made the necessary contacts and directives to mobilise security agents to the area in addition to footing the medical bills of the injured.
“We are aware of the security breach in Mopamuro, and the governor has taken steps to arrest the situation and bring the perpetrators to book. As we speak, a joint security task has commenced operation on the matter. We urge the people to remain calm, vigilant, and law-abiding. The security agencies have been briefed and are determined to flush out the criminals.”
Fanwo added that local government functionaries in Mopamuro, Kabba-Bunu and Ijumu have been alerted about the infraction and assured that the government will not leave any stone unturned to guarantee security in the state.
