From Francis Nansak, Lafia
The Nasarawa State Chairman of Meyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Hussaini Mohammed, has raised the alarm over the alleged killing of three Fulani men and five others severely injured at Kadarko in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
He confided on our Correspondent on phone on Sunday morning and regretting that such a gruesome act is being perpetrated at a time the world is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to him, three days ago, some TIV youths from Kadarko in collaboration with their Benue brothers in Yelwata attacked and killed a Fulani herdsman and rustled his cows to an unknown destination.
“As the chairman of the MACBAN, I was reliably told that the Tiv youths allegedly met the Fulani herders and told them that they are out in search of meat to eat.
“They attacked the Fulanis, killed one of them and injured the other and then rustled their cows.”
He further alleged that: “Two days after, they repeated the same act and killed two of our Fulani boys which they did in collaboration with their Tiv brothers at Yelwata in Benue state.”
However, contrary to his explanation, a source who is of the Tiv ethnic extraction, who graved anonymity, told our Correspondent that the problem started when the Fulani met a woman in the farm and asked her why she was in the farm? They gave the woman the beating that almost claimed her life.
According to the source, the woman’s cry for help attracted a man who was working in his farm, but that the man was over powered by the Fulanis who also beat and machete him on the head and on both arms.
The source continued that: “The TIV youths who were pained by the situation also moved for vengeance and they clashed with the Fulani men who had earlier ran from Udei somewhere in Benue, as they vent their vengeance on our people in Yelwata, near Kadarko of Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa state.
” Still on their vengeance mission on our people, on Saturday, the Fulani repeated the attack and killed two of our women in their farms at about 9am,”the source said.
As at the time of filing this report, the Nasarawa State Police Command Spokesman, ASP Nansel Ramhan, said he was not aware of the crisis. He pleaded for more time to enable him contact the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charged at Kadarko.
He later called back to apologise that the DPO’ s number was unreachable, forcing our reporter to call the chairman Keana Local Government Council, whose line was switched off.
