*Emboldened by Governor’s directive
*Indigenes fled to avert governor’s wrath if they repealed
herdsmen attack
LOKOJA-In what seem like a response to the uncommon invite of the Kogi
Governor to the herdsmen assuring them of a safe haven the herdsmen
did storm the state just few days ago killing over ten persons and
burning several houses after looting.
The Herdsmen who came carrying Ak 47 and several other sophisticated
weapons were said to have invaded communities in two local government
areas of Omala and Yangba Local Government areas destroying several
hectares of rice farms and sending the farmers running for their
lives rather than fighting back to incur the wrath of the state
governor who had warned indigenes to accommodate the herdsmen of face
the removal of their traditional ruler.
The herdsmen who carried their actions as a result of anger over the
audacity of the farmers in the villages to question their destruction
of the farmland and challenging them left and later returned to wreck
the havoc and also destroyed all the farms after killing ten persons
and setting all the houses ablaze with Ak 47 loosely wielding by them.
The herdsmen who also stormed Yangba were said to have destroyed
several farmlands of Rice and threatened to slaughter anyone who
challenge or dare question them.
The herdsmen who seem emboldened by the statement of the state
executive governor several days ago in a meeting of stake holders in
Kogi that involved the people of the state and members of the Mayetti
Allah cattle breeders in which the governor told all who cares to hear
that the state is free for ant breeders and herdsmen from any state
where the anti grazing law operates and they are all welcome and free
to carry out their business and cautioned the Kogi people against
opposing any herdsmen as any community that does would have the
traditional ruler disposed.
This warning seem to have played out perfectly as the farmers and
villagers were said to have either ran or watch as the herdsmen not
only loot and kill but set all the farm land on destruction while the
indigenes out of fear of their traditional ruler disposition ran or
kept mute.
Attempts to speak to the governor media team on the resultant
emboldened attack following the golden warning by the governor to
the indigenes of the state to accommodate and not attack or stop the
herdsmen was not possible as the spokesman promised to get back to
Daily Watch but didn’t till the paper went to press.
