Suspected herdsmen kill two farmers in Nasarawa

The Police Command in Nasarawa State, on Thursday, confirmed the killing of two farmers, a male and a female, in Kadarko, Keana Local Government Area of the state.
ASP Ramhan Nansel, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, told newsmen in Lafia that the incident occurred on Wednesday.
Nansel said that a complaint was lodged at the Kadarko Police Division over the clash between a herdsman and a farmer which led to the death of the two farmers.
“On Wednesday at 1700 hours, there occurred a farmer, herder clash at Yamadaga Village, a border community between Benue and Nasarawa State.
“Consequently, this morning at 7 a.m., the corpse of one Terngu Nguuma, a female, and that of one Richard Sunnymon, a male, were found in the bush at the village,” he said.
Nansel stated that the command immediately dispatched a joint team, comprising the Police Mobile Force Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Counter-Terrorism Unit and conventional police personnel, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Kadarko Division.
“The situation was brought under control while the joint patrol is ongoing to restore normalcy to the affected area.
“The Commissioner of Police,  Bola Longe, has also directed the deputy commissioner of police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department, to investigate and ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and bring the perpetrators to book.”
Similarly, Usman Dodo II, Osokadarko of Kadarko community, who also confirmed the incident, told newsmen that the killing of the farmers was a reprisal attack by some herdsmen who were earlier attacked by some Tiv indigenes.
He assured, however, that a meeting of all the ethnic groups in the community would hold on Friday to unravel the causes of the clashes and find a lasting solution that would ensure peace in the area.
A lawyer and community leader, Mr Chakur Titus, described the killings as unfortunate, adding that so far, no group or persons had been directly linked with the incident.
“But the nature and manner in which the victims were slaughtered is similar to what happened to some Tiv people here sometimes in 2016, when the Fulani herdsmen attacked the Tivs in Kadarko.
“We are waiting for the outcome of the police investigation, because we have reported the matter to them.
“We have also informed the military personnel sent to this place to take care of the situation, before it escalates into something else.
“The unfortunate thing is that each time it happens in Kadarko, it is with the Tiv people.
“It has never happened to any other tribe and because of that, we feel that we are a targeted tribe. We feel that we are targeted to be eliminated,” Titus said.