Follow Us on Google
•Herders kill over 30, take over Agatu LGA in Benue
•Women, children wandering in the bush
From Scholastica Hir Makurdi
There is palpable fear and tension in Agatu Local Government Area, (LGA) of Benue State, following renewed killings in some communities in the area. While the killings have continued unabated, residents from the areas have accused both state and the federal government of maintaining sealed lips.
•Rufuges in their homeland
On January 18, 2024, the people of Okokolo ward, Agatu LGA came under attack by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen militia. The attackers left five persons dead, including two soldiers, a Nigeria Security Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) personnel and two villagers.
While the people of Okokolo were yet to recover from the attack, the gunmen, again, attacked Okpokpolo and Ikpele communities of the same council area on January 23, 2024. They killed two people, burnt several houses and destroyed other properties worth millions of naira.
•Damaged house
As if that was not enough, last weekend, January 27, 2024, some persons were reportedly killed and several others said to be missing following another attack on Agatu LGA by suspected armed herdsmen. A resident, James Onah, told our correspondent that the situation was getting out of hand and there was need for the government to come to their aid before they are wiped out.
•Destroyed building
Onah, who was enveloped in panic, said: “Right now there is serious gun battle. The herdsmen are shooting sporadically at Ogwumogbo, Agatu LGA . Everyone has ran into the bush.
“Ogwumogbo, Ikpele, Ejima and Okpokpolo residents have all deserted their homes and ran into the tick bush. Women and children are hiding in the bush right now.”
Member representing Agatu State Constituency in the State Assembly, Hon. Godwin Edoh, who confirmed the attack on Sunday, said it took place between 12 pm and 4pm on Saturday. He said the attackers invaded three communities of Ogwumogbo, Ikpele and Ejima and sacked the residents, adding that several persons were missing.
He lamented: “Despite all our efforts, the killings have persisted. No one is coming to our aid and the governor is quiet. I do not understand this.
“That is our problem. Our displaced persons at Agatu don’t gather at a location. They move to various villages to stay with their relatives. But Ejima Gega, Ejima Geche, Ogbumogbo, Okpokpolo and Ikpelle Gefu have been sacked by armed Fulani herdsmen in Agatu West and Ugboju Gube, Ocholonya villages have been sacked in Agatu North.”
When contacted on the attack, the police public relations officer in the state, Catherine Anene, a superintendent of police, said: “I do not have this report.”
Following the attack, Okokolo, Ikpele, Okpokpolo, Abugbe and Ocholanya communities, among others have been deserted. Our findings reveal that women, children and aged parents who fled their homes seeking refuge in neighbouring towns and villages, have no food, clothing or a place to lay their heads as they ran in a hurry.
Our correspondent gathered that even the able bodied youths, who stayed behind to keep watch over the communities are living in fear of the unknown. Residents have, therefore, called on the state and federal governments to come to their aid to clear their villages of the marauding herdsmen whom they alleged have taken possession of their lands and are now occupying them.
A local, who hails from one of the villages in Agatu, Hyacinth Oche, disclosed that the renewed crisis began since November 2023.
Oche, who identified himself as a member of the Community Peace Observers (CPOs), in Agatu said: “The first one started around November and they kept coming from the Kogi axis till around December, making everybody to desert the community.
“As at January 23, 2024, when the herders attacked Ikpele and Okpokpolo, over 30 people have lost their lives in those communities from the record we have. People have left their homes and ran for their dear lives. “Some people ran to Igala and others escaped to different places. So, for now, we cannot ascertain for sure but we are sure many are also missing.”
The former Vice Chairman of Agatu LGA, Mr John Ikwulono, has appealed to the state and federal governments to rise up to their responsibilities and save Agatu land and its people.
Ikwulono, who spoke on phone, said: “We are making a passionate appeal to the Federal Government, the state government, other government agencies and the security to swing into action in making sure that the Fulani herdsmen who are occupying our land leave the place for the indigenous owners, the Agatu people in Ejima and Ogumogbo communities so that they can return to their ancestral homes.
“As I speak to you now, they are making arrangements to attack other nearby villages like Ikpele, which is closer to Ejima and Ogumogbo. Agatu people are still staying there but because the herdsmen are occupying Ejima and Ogumogbo they are making sure they push the other people who are living closer to this communities so that they can as well take over the area.
“The agenda of these people is to take over the Agatu land, Benue and Nigeria as a whole. Anyone who is pretending not to know this is not being fair. That is why every local government area they go, they want to circle it and take over.”
The former vice chairman, who described their plight as unfortunate, stated that “during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is a Fulani, they felt it was their own brother who was the president and they can do whatever they like. Now that Bola Tinubu is the president, we shouldn’t be going through the same experience we went through in the past.
“We are not getting the needed support and intervention that we expect from the government. We are appealing that drastic measures be taken to tackle this issue, if not we will be no way to be found very soon.”
It was also learnt that apart from the earlier mention communities, herdsmen of Fulani origin are also living around the riverine area. “For instance, in Ocholonya, the Ocholonya people are no longer there. The Fulanis live close to that area and has been expanding to other villages.
“So, right now, Ocholonya, Ejima, Ikpele and other places sharing boundaries with Kogi State have been sacked. In Gwer West, nobody is living in the whole of Agagbe area again. Fulanis are camping there.
“If they continue to stay there and no force is resisting them, they can easily penetrate other places. In fact, the recent attack they brought to Okokolo, they came in from that Agagbe area across the river.
“As we speak, in Okokolo, it is all about fear, anxiety and tension. It’s all about people not resident in their ancestral homes,” he said.
He said he was in the area in company of some of the leaders, including Senator Abba Moro and Hon. Ojotu Ojoma for an on-the-spot-assessment of the level of destruction in the area and observed that women and children were no longer there, schools are no longer functioning and markets are empty.
“Even the youths, who have the boldness to stayed back to protect the community, are there in fear as on daily basis, we kept receiving information about Fulani crossing over from Loko and Ijiwo axis in Nasarawa State to come to our area.
“So, there is fear, anxiety and people willing to come back to their ancestral homes but they cannot come. Some are in Akwu, some in Ayula, others Adagbu, others are in Obagaji just to ensure that they have a temporal place of safety.
“The security situation in Agatu is serious and deserves declaring a state of emergency. Not only that, the government should deploy military to camp them around Okokolo axis. It’s a border town between Gwer and Nasarawa. If the military is stationed there, 99 percent of these insecurity would have been solved.
“This is not the first time we are calling for intervention. We have done this severally but we have not got the needed intervention that we are looking from government, especially the federal government,” he lamented.
Recall that the state government led a delegation to Agatu last week after herdsmen attacked Okokolo and five persons including two soldiers and an NSCDC member.
Governor Hyacinth Alia, represented by his deputy, Sam Ode, and the Force Commander OPWS visited the troops on January 19, 2024.
The team who were received by the Chairman Agatu LGA, Hon Yakubu Ochepo, and the traditional rulers of the communities in the LGA, assured the joint task force of the continual support of the state government and promised to assist in the treatment of those wounded.
