Follow Us on Google
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A groundswell of anger has heightened tension in the Opume community of Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, following the killing of a 39-year-old woman, Waadu Alfred, by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The death of Alfred had sparked protest as women and youths of Opume community trooped out to the major road linking Ogbia to Nembe Local Government Area protesting the killing.
Sources in the community said the family of the deceased became apprehensive when she did not return from the farm over the weekend prompting a search party to look for her.
The search party was said to have met her decomposing body tied to a stake with machete cuts and signs that she was raped before being killed.
Her brutal death was said to have irked the youths of Opume community forcing them to block the road and threatening to retaliate against the suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The leadership of the council deployed policemen to restore order while the elders of the community sued for peace to allow the police to investigate the incident.
The spokesman of the Bayelsa Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the development and said an investigation into the incident has commenced.
The Implementation Committee of the Anti-Open Grazing Law headed by the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr David Alagoa, with the Special Adviser to the Governor of Security Matters CP Akpoebi Agberebi(retd) had disclosed recently during a meeting how suspected Fulani herdsmen engaged security agencies in a gun duel.
The state government in a bid to stem the tide of attacks and destruction of farmland by suspected Fulani herdsmen had directed the eight local government areas to set up sub-committees to work with its Anti-Open Grazing Law Implementation Committee to check the activities of errant herdsmen in the state.
The Nigeria Police Force and the 16 Brigade of the Nigerian Army were also expected to set up a swift response team to work with the committee.
