Five days after the killing of over 50 farmers in Ukum and Logo local government areas of Benue State, suspected armed herders in the early hours of Tuesday attacked Afia Community in Ukum, killing eleven (11) residents.
The Ter Ukum, His Royal Highness Iyorkyaa Kaave who disclosed this on Tuesday in Makurdi during a security meeting, decried the unprovoked attacks on his subjects by the marauding herdsmen.
The monarch alleged that the attackers plan was to displace the farmers to subsequently return afterwards to occupy their land.
According to him, “As I speak with you, these attacks started on Thursday in Logo and spread to communities in Ukum on good Friday. We are still counting losses and more corpses are being recovered and some people are still missing.”
Ter Ukum added, “Today which is Tuesday 22nd day of April, the herders invaded Afia in the early hour of today, shooting sporadically at anyone in sight, killing eleven people on the spot, while several others sustained varying degree of injuries with scores still missing.
“We want the President to know that these Fulani people are different from the ones we settled with in the 70s and 80s. Those ones do come in the dry season with their wives children and cattle to stay with us; but in recent times, these Fulanis are coming with cattle and AK-47 only to attack our people in their sleep and flee, after a while come back and occupy their homes,” he said.
Addressed President Bola Tinubu, the monarch stated, “The president should get this clear, we don’t want to settle with murderers. These people are coming with a hidden agenda to kill and occupy, which they are no longer hiding.”
Details later…
