By Collins Olayinka & Saxone Akhaine
‘Farmers/herders’ clashes claim 6,000 lives in N’Central’
Suspected Fulani herdsmen have killed eight natives of Southern Kaduna.
The herders reportedly invaded Kibori and Atagjah villages in Atyap Chiefdom, Zangon-Kataf Local Council of Kaduna State.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mohammed Jalige, did not answer calls for inquiries on the incident.
But a community leader, who pleaded anonymity, said that Kibori and Asha Awuce were attacked by suspected Fulani militia on Monday evening, who shot sporadically, leading to the killing of about five persons while many others were injured.
“Houses and foodstuff were destroyed by the attackers,” he said. “At Atagjeh village, the suspected Fulani militia, on Tuesday night, killed three persons, while three others that sustained injuries are receiving treatment at a hospital.”
According to him, the attacks in Atyap Chiefdom have become a routine affair by the suspected Fulani militia.
He added: “Almost all the villages that make up Atyap Chiefdom have been attacked, while lives and property of unimaginable magnitude were destroyed.
“The worst situation is that the attacks are ongoing by the suspected Fulani militia and the natives are left to carry their cross, with little or no security to protect them from the hands of the attackers.”
CLASHES between herdsmen and farmers have claimed 6,000 lives in the North Central states of Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau in the last 20 years.
A report, entitled ‘The Root Cause of the Farmers/Herders crisis in North Central Nigeria’, compiled by Dr. Plangshak Suchi and Dr. Sallek Musa, has it that the number of casualties of the clashes is more than those lost to Boko Haram.
The report, which was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation West Africa, stated: “Since 2001, about 6,000 people have been killed in the conflicts, surpassing the death toll from the Boko Haram conflict in a neighbouring zone of the country.”
Resident Representative of Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Dr. Claus Konig, expressed hope that the report would foster dialogue among communities, farmers and herders, and…
