Umogidi, Benue State, Nigeria is where this gore incident happened within rising tensions between nomad herders and established farmers, who contend for land, resources and regional control, is built up as a routine.

In Kano, Nigeria the local government media reported that the gunmen assaulted people in a remote village community in North Central Nigeria killing at least 50 civilian people.

Paul Hemba, a security adviser to Benue State, said the media that a total of 46 dead bodies of the victim casualties of this tit-for-tat incident has been recovered and still the missing numbers are on the rise, so the total casualties of this shootout will be more than 50 in-total.

He added that the nomad herdsmen are the perpetrators of this incident who often graze the farm lands with their massive cattle herds, “Soldiers have been dispatched to the incident area, and everything is under control” said Paul.

The attacks motive is unclear but the Benue State is often a hotspot for such incidents of clashes between the farmers and ethnic Fulani herdsmen, where the herdsmen destroy farm lands with their cattle grazing frenzy.

The chairman from Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), of Fulani Herders, Baba Usman Ngelzarma warned the media for blaming the herdsmen for this incident without any investigation in place.

He accused the media of deliberately campaigning for demonising the Fulani Herdsmen in this particular part of Benue and that has spread to other regions of Nigeria from here.

“We are not exonerating Fulani Herders but blaming them for every attack is unfair and prejudice, so we call for an in-depth investigation to find the real perpetrators of this shoot out incident” Baba added.

Bala Ejeh of Otukpo Local Government Chairman, said ” The gunmen attacked the people who were mourning three deceased farmers who have been killed a day earlier “, further he said there have been 46 bodies that has been recovered by the government forces, that including his own son and two other of his own relatives.

Bola Tinubu, The president-elect of Nigeria won the ballot with heavy delays in the vote counting and been accused of vote rigging, is now facing security challenges including this kind of communal violence.

There has been a 14-year old jihadist conflict which the government security forces are already battling amidst this communal violence and gun culture terrors.

Intercommunal violences have become a crisis in the north, west and central region of Nigeria, alongside the heavy bandits who deliberately plunder and pillage defenseless villages at gunpoint.

Chief Executive Writer –
Dinesh Kandasamy –
OpenCOSA Team –