Herdsmen slaughter four policemen, five others in Adamawa, Kaduna

Godwin Isenyo, Kayode Idowu and Hindi Livinus

Fulani herdsmen, on Saturday, attacked Kwahine, Gidan dadi and Karalahi villages in the Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, killing four policemen and three villagers.

Also, a Senator from the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District, Danjuma Laah, on Sunday, said despite the presence of troops, suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked Tsonje village, near Kagoro in the Kaura LGA of the Kaduna State on Saturday and killed two persons.

Tsonje is in the crisis-ridden Southern Kaduna.

The Adamawa State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the killings in the state but claimed that only three riot policemen were killed while two were missing.

Lumsambani Dilli, a member representing Demsa community in the state House of Assembly, however, said he was reliably informed by his constituents that three villagers and four policemen died in the attacks.

Dilli urged the state government to fish out the culprits, especially “the herdsmen who carried out the atrocious acts.”

The lawmaker, who said five other persons, who sustained serious injuries, had  been taken to the state specialist hospital, observed that there was more behind the attacks.

“If it is about the cows, they had been compensated. So, why then the attacks after compensation had been paid?” he stated.

It was learnt that the state government had, after a peace parley with the herdsmen who lost 47 cows to  the villagers, offered the aggrieved herdsmen N4.7m compensation.

It was gathered that the killed policemen were among those drafted to secure Kwayine, Gidan Dadi and Karlahi communities after clashes that followed the killing of 47 cows in the area.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Othman Abubakar, who confirmed the development to newsmen in Yola, said four rifles, belonging to the policemen, were also missing.

Abubakar, a Superintendent of Police, said, “Fulani militia attacked the three villages and we lost three of our gallant MOPOL while two are missing.

“We have constituted a high-powered search team and by the special grace of God, we are going to recover our men.

“On the side of the civilians, two bodies have so far been recovered.”

The spokesman said the police had succeeded in killing scores of the militias who were however able to escape with their dead colleagues.

Abubakar said more mobile policemen and military personnel from the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Jalo Cantonment, had been deployed in the area to restore normalcy.

The state Governor, Muhammad Bindow, condemned the attack, which occurred less than 24 hours after a government delegation on peace-building mission visited the area.

The governor, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, directed security agencies to deploy more personnel in the area.

Bindow described the attack as unfortunate and sad, especially coming after recent peace and confidence building efforts.

He said, “The governor feels highly disturbed that after he had sent delegation on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to interface with the different communities in the area, a clash could occur so soon thereafter.”

He guaranteed residents of the government's administration's set out to reestablish peace to the influenced ranges and secure the lives of every citizen.

Bindow applauded the gallantry of the police in confronting the attackers and urged them not to relent until normalcy was fully restored.

Laah alleged that two persons were killed while another two men, who he identified as Ephraim Ezekiel(19) and Joshua Ladi (41),  were declared missing after the Kaduna attack.

Laah said, “Today, as we observed the National Mourning Day ordered by the Christian Association of Nigeria over the unabated killings of law abiding citizens of Nigeria in Southern Kaduna, and the forceful taking over of their land,  I wish to sadly inform you again, that two persons were killed yesterday (on Saturday) by the same marauding Fulani terrorists.

“I have been reliably informed that after the terrorists retreated to their well known camp behind Pasakori community at the foot of Kagoro mountain, a few kilometres away, two other persons have also been declared missing.”

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