Niger Killings: ‘Dry Season Farming Fueling Herdsmen, Farmers Clashes’

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From Saka Bolaji, Minna

A community leader in the troubled Epogi village in Mokwa local government area of Niger state, Alhaji Abubakar Taoheed Tahir, has said the advent of dry season farming in Nigeria is largely responsible for the incessant herdsmen/ farmers clashes currently ravaging the country.

Tahir said this during the on-the-spot assessment of the extent of damage during the Fulani invasion of the village at dawn where over 20 people were gruesomely murdered in the mosque during the early morning prayers.

Tahir explained that the genesis of the problem was the fact that the riverine community was predominant a fishing one.

His words: “However, due to dwindling availability of fish in the waters, our people then decided to take advantage of the dry season farming to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the Fulani people who had stayed in the community were predominantly cattle rearers. Such led to the villagers demanding that the Fulani should allow the people harvest their rice and other farm produce before taking the animals for grazing. Unfortunately, the Fulani were always impatient to keep the agreement.They allow their animals to destroy the crops of the local people”.

Tahir pointed out that the farmers will not take kindly to this, and crisis will arise leading to killings of innocent people by the Fulani.

Recall that Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen Saturday night attacked Epogi community, Gbara ward, in Mokwa local government area of Niger state killing 21 people.

Giving the Police account of the bloodbath, Niger state Police Commissioner, Zubairu Muazu, lamented the inhuman attack on the island community.
Muazu promised that all the perpetrators of the heinous crime will be arrested and brought to book.
The CP urged the local people to come forward and volunteer information capable of leading to the arrest of the criminals.
On his part, the Acting governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammef Ketso, regretted the unfortunate incident.

He promised to ensure adequate security for the people through proactive measures aimed at curtailing such unfortunate situation.

Witnesses said the attack was as a result of an earlier disagreement between some Fulani youth and members of the affected community, which resulted in the death of herder.
According to an account, the herders who maintained a settlement near the community were offered land to farm on the agreement that certain percentage of the proceeds goes to the village head.
The Dream Daily learnt that disagreement ensued when the herders failed to remit the agreed percentage this year, while claiming that the land in question now belongs to them.
Irked by the death of one them, the herders were said to have reached out for support from their kinsmen elsewhere and launched an attack on the community mosque, when Muslim faithful were observing their early morning prayers.
Malam Mairo Mohammed told our reporter on phone that the attackers killed everybody in the mosque, including the Imam.
Women and children who were woken by the commotion were said to have flee in different direction with some of them sustaining injuries in the process.
The state police command public relation officer, DSP Bala Elkana confirmed the report said 20 people were killed during an early morning prayers.
He said the attack was a reprisal to an earlier killing of a herder by the villagers. The killing of a herder was managed but it appears they were not satisfied and decided to retaliate, DSP Elkana stated.
According to him eight people sustained various degrees of injuries during the attack and a recuperating in a nearby hospital.
He however added that mobile policemen have been deployed to the trouble community, while Department of the State Security Service and officers of the command’s Criminal Investigation Department were also on ground to keep the peace.


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