Fulani herdsmen threaten to attack Abia village

Residents of Okporenyi village in the Bende Local Government Area of Abia State have been living in fear of possible attack by Fulani herdsmen following a face-off between the community and the cattle rearers.

The Fulani herdsmen were said to have threatened to attack the community if the people failed to produce the cows allegedly stolen by the villagers.

According to a member of the village, trouble started on Christmas Eve when a group of herdsmen suddenly emerged in the village, threatening to attack the villagers if they could not produce their missing cows.

According to the source, farmlands in the village have come under incessant attacks by cows belonging to the Fulani herdsmen but that complaints by the villagers had fallen on deaf ears.

The source further said that the herdsmen later came to the village in company with some policemen, alleging that they were searching for one of their cattle rearers, said to be a little boy.

Continuing, the source said an attempt by one of the villagers, simply identified as Onyi, to exonerate the village from any involvement in the whereabouts of the allegedly missing boy earned him the wrath of one of the herdsmen who dealt him a machete cut in the upper arm.

He said the villagers had been living in fear of imminent raid by the herdsmen who had attacked some communities in the Middle Belt as well as part of Enugu State in recent times over grazing land.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for Abia State command, Mr. Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed the incident but said, “Police are on top of the situation.”

The PPRO said talks had been initiated with both parties with a view to resolving the face- off. He assured the villagers of full protection of their lives and property but advised them not to take the laws into their hands.

Meanwhile, two policemen in Adamawa State have been arrested for allegedly killing two young Fulani herdsmen in the state.

A police source said the two policemen were arrested following an alleged murder of two Fulani youths in the Toungo Local Government Area of Adamawa State as a result of an argument over N50 bribe.