Fresh tension and palpable fear of the unknown have enveloped residents of Urhouka community, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State following the alleged murder of a middle-age man (name withheld) by suspected Fulani herdsmen in his farm land in the early hours of Tuesday.
It was reliably gathered that the victim in company of his mother were engaged in the spray of insecticide away from their crops being damaged when the suspected herdsmen swooped on them, and killed the man on the spot.
It was further learnt that the attackers (Fulani herdsmen) grouse against the victim was as a result of the sprayed crops which allegedly caused the death of some of their cows taken to the farm for grazing, and as such descended angrily on the man who allegedly engaged on a verbal cross fire but the Police Image Maker in the state, Mr. Andrew Aniamaka who confirmed the incident, said investigation was ongoing with a view to arresting the evil doers. “We cannot paint accusing fingers on herdsmen or anybody now until the outcome of the police investigation”.
The Police Image Maker added. Investigation revealed that farmers in the areas have abandoned their farm lands for fear of attacks, and have called on the state government to come to their aid.
In a swift reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Charles Aniagwu said the state government has strengthened security agencies as alternative measures to ensure lives of residents are protected, adding that the measures gradually would put paid to the unfortunate situation of the Fulani herdsmen’s killings across the state.
“Dr. Okowa is very passionate about the lives of Deltans in the state and he is doing everything possible to ensure their lives are protected hence there have been no strident policies” Aniagwu added.
Although fragile peace had returned to the community through the efforts of the Law Enforcement Agents, but some of the residents who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity feared the situation might get worse if urgent steps are not taken to curb the horrendous killings in the state by the rampaging herdsmen.
In another development, residents of Ovre-Eku community in Delta State allegedly displaced by suspected hired thugs last Thursday by officials of the Presco Oil Company Plc have called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to intervene as the thugs apart from allegedly destroying their property, also cart them away.
But in a swift reaction, Presco Relations Manager, Mr. Tony Uwajeh dispelled the allegations against the company as untrue saying that Presco as responsible company would not degenerate to maiming the indigenes of its host communities.
He said: “The case of being addressed by the Boundary Commission, and we as a company would what is due to Delta and pay what is due to Edo as the case maybe”.
It was gathered that thugs armed with dangerous weapons numbering over fifty persons were said to have allegedly attacked the villagers in Ovre-Eku community and inflicted matchetes injuries on them, while some of them managed to escape for their dear lives.
An old man in the village, Mr. Uvoh Eyimofe told our reporter that the thugs allegedly used cutlass to matchete the victims, adding that the trouble started as a result of the boundary dispute between Edo/Delta State.
He said: “during the course of investigations, Presco came with the police officers from zone 5, Benin-city, Edo State and arrested the President-General of the community and everybody ran for their safety”.
But Senior Police Officers at the Zone 5 who did not want their names in the print, denied the arrest of the community’s President-General, saying that investigation was still ongoing.
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