The residents of Abua, a suburb of Makurdi, Benue
State capital, are living in fear following the attack on them by
people alleged to be Fulani herdsmen. Most of the villagers in the area
are now taking refuge in the main town of Makurdi and other places.
Trouble started last week when the Fulani wanted
their cattle to graze on certain portions of the land that belonged to
the villagers. But the residents of the area resisted, resulting in a
clash between the villagers and the Fulani, a situation which led to
the death of two villagers. The corpses of the victims have been
deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi.
Investigations revealed that mobile police men
have been deployed to area to calm frayed nerves. It was gathered that
the presence of the police helped to restore normalcy but it was also
confirmed that as soon as the police were not on the scene of the
crisis, trouble resumes.
A resident of the area, who identified herself as
Iorkyaa, who is now taking refuge in Makurdi town, told NEXT that their
belongings were destroyed in the crisis, including food crops, houses,
and even economic trees.
Meanwhile, the residents of the area have expressed worry over the
possibility of being disenfranchised as a result of the incident, even
as some have reportedly lost their voter registration cards in the
crisis. They called on the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to look for a way for them to carry out their civic
responsibility.
