Suspected Fulani herdsmen kill three in Benue

Suspected Fulani herdsmen have killed three people at Adaka, a suburb of Makurdi, the Benue state capital

The suspected herders invaded the community on Friday, December 16, and killed the people on the farm.

It was gathered that the herders might have attacked the Adaka community to avenge the killing of their cows that strayed into people’s farms and destroyed their crops.

A native identified as Adamgbe confirmed the incident to the Nigerians Tribune on Sunday, December 18.

"Three people from this community, one of them is our son here while the other two came for the purpose of getting land to farm rice," he said.

"As they left for the farm, it was discovered that they didn’t return and a search party was raised the following day (Saturday) which included security men. That was when they discovered their dead bodies."

Security Adviser to the Benue State Governor, Col. Paul Hemba, on Sunday, confirmed the attack and killing of three people.

"When I was informed of the development it was in the night (of Friday) so we waited till Saturday morning, and sent out patrols including members of the community and in the course of the patrol, we discovered the corpses of the missing three persons brutally killed obviously with a machete," he said.

"And the community is suspecting that Fulani herdsmen murdered the victims. This is because the herdsmen have been operating in their vicinity.

"Additionally just last week, the Fulani herdsmen alleged that some of their cows which invaded the people’s rice farms were killed in that community. The Commissioner of Police is investigating the incident.

"The community is suspecting that the gruesome murder of the three was a reprisal. The people said they killed the cattle because they invaded their rice farm. And most times these farms are cultivated with loans which must be paid back after harvest."

He further said, “From the pictures we have you can see that the animals that were killed were grazing freely on a large rice farm. And probably the owner of the farm, out of anger and frustration attacked and killed the cows. You can even see pieces of evidence, the cows died on the rice they were destroying and eating.

"They killed the cattle and left them in the farms they destroy. It must be out of anger and frustration. These are some of the terrible things farmers have been noticing, herders will push their cows into people’s yam, cassava and rice farms and watch them destroy and graze on them after which they would walk away.

“It’s so painful that you will tend to your farm today and when you get there the next day it is all eaten up by cows. So it is suspected that out of frustration somebody who saw this happening to his rice farm did that to the animals.”

The Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO) of the State Police Command, Catherine Anene confirmed the killing.

"The attack and killing at Adaka is confirmed I will give you more details when I get it," she said.