The Police in Abia State on Monday confirmed that suspected herdsmen armed with firearms attacked a community in the state and left scores of the indigenes critically wounded.
The police spokesman, ACP Ogbonnaya Nta, who confirmed the incident to newsmen, said that the command had commenced investigation.
Ndi Okereke Abam in Ovukwu Autonomous Community in Arochukwu LGA was invaded on Friday by suspected armed herdsmen.
Narrating the incident to newsmen in Umuahia, the President-General of the community, Chief Chukwuma Okubi, said that the incident took place in the afternoon.
He said that six persons sustained bullet and machete wounds and were rushed to a hospital in the area for medical treatment.
The president-general said the herdsmen invaded their farmlands and destroyed their crops.
Okubi, who described the act as `provocative,’ said that the cattle feasted on bags of rice, harvested by one of the victims.
“The plea by the farmer to the herdsmen to take the cattle away from the rice fell on deaf ears as they drew their machete and gave several cuts on the man.
“The cattle used to graze on grass in the past but this time, they were led into the farms which are our main source of livelihood,” he said.
Okubi said that it was the alarm raised by members of the man’s family, who escaped from the scene that drew the attention of the community.
He said that when the information got to the town, the youths mobilised and headed for the farmlands to ascertain the level of destruction and casualty.
“Unfortunately, as soon as the herdsmen saw the youths, they opened fire on them and inflicted machete cut on some of them,’’Okubi added.
He said that the timely intervention of the Commissioner of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade, and the Chairman, Farmers/Herdsmen Committee set up by the police, saved the situation from degenerating.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Police Command has intensified community policing to check cattle rustling and kidnapping in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Zubairu Muazu, disclosed this in Minna on Monday.
Muazu said the measure would enable residents to offer intelligence reports that could assist the command in apprehending all those involved in criminal activities in the state.
“We have deployed plain security personnel in identified areas of cattle rustling to ensure their arrest and prosecution,”he said .
He also said that stakeholders had been mobilised to educate residents on the need to report suspicious characters in their midst.
The commissioner expressed confidence that the involvement of stakeholders would greatly assist the command to deal with any form of security threats in the area.
He, therefore, urged residents of the area to always give information on the movement of suspicious persons for prompt action.
He said that already Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers had been briefed on ways to strengthen community policing in their respective areas of operation.
“We have put in place various security measures that will enable residents to move on with their legitimate businesses without hindrance, ” the commissioner said.
