Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
Blood reportedly flowed freely in the early hours of Wednesday when some suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded Oganeinugu community in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State and massacre no few than 20 people.
Also, about two people were said to be killed in an adjoining town of Iyale where the people of Oganeinugu ran to take refuge.
Similarly, it was gathered that another group of Fulani herdsmen simultaneously launched attacks on five other communities, namely Obakume, Idrisu, Ogo, Ayojeju-Ikboba all in Omala Local Government Area of the state killing several people and setting their houses ablaze.
Earlier, one Joshua Angulu was said to have been killed while working in his farm at Abejukolo by some herdsmen.
According to reports, the man was hacked down for raising an alarm when the herders invaded his farms. The killings in Oganeinugu were said to have taken place when the herdsmen besieged the community around 3.00a.m. with guns and dangerous weapons and slaughtered members of the community mostly women and children.
According to an eyewitness account, the bandits were said to have killed four people in one house belonging to a serving policeman, wiping the whole family .
As at the time of filing in this report, the killings were said to be ongoing as members of the community were said to be running helter-skelter while the actual casualty figures was still unknown.
Investigations revealed that the killings by herdsmen in Kogi State has increased to a frightening dimension following the blanket invitation Governor Yahaya Bello gave to all Fulani herdsmen late last year.
The governor, who was the first to embrace the establishment of the then proposed cattle colonies, even threatened to depose any traditional ruler who failed to cooperate with the Fulani herdsmen.
Many were reportedly missing after fleeing into bushes, which made it difficult to have a clear figure of the dead or wounded.
Meanwhile, there were reports that a new set of Fulani herdsmen/ terrorists have crossed into Omala Local Government Area of the state through the River Benue from Nasarawa State.
They were said to be camped in the Obakume forest, preparing for attacks on Abejukolo, the local government headquarters and adjoining villages.
National President of the Ife (Omala) Development Association, Dr. James Odaudu, has appealed to both the Federal and Kogi State Governments to take urgent steps to forestall the planned attacks.
According to him, “The people are yet to recover from last year’s attacks on Bagana and other villages in the local government which led to a number of deaths. Odaudu also appealed to the people to refrain from actions capable of breaching the peace.”
When contacted, the acting Commissioner of Police, Kuryas Monday Bala, confirmed the incidents and said his men had been drafted to the troubled areas to forestall further killings.
He, however, declined to give the casualty figures but promised to brief the press later.