*10 die, 50 houses burnt
By; ADAMA JOHN, Lokoja.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has ordered investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the herders attack on three Ogane-Enigu communities in Dekina Local Government Area that claimed 10 lives and left over 50 houses completely burnt.
Represented by his Deputy, Chief Edward David Onoja, the governor gave the order after an on-the-spot assessment of the destruction at Aloko-Ogane-Enigu, one of the three devastated communities.
Bello described the killings and destruction of property as barbaric and inhuman.
He said that the investigation comprising all security agencies in the state was aimed at putting an end to such dastardly act of man’s inhumanity to man.
The governor assured that the perpetrators of the heinous crimes would be apprehended and prosecuted to put an end to such ugly situation as he urged security agencies to swerve into action immediately.
“The attack is barbaric though such incident is not very frequent in Kogi state but in 2018, one of the adjoining communities experienced such attack that made the governor to visit the community despite the difficult terrains.
“This recent attack will be the end as government will not relent until the needful are done to give the communities peace of mind. No body can come to the state, kill people and go back freely. We must arrest them and bring them to book”, he said.
Elder David Abimaje, one of the locals and an indigene of Aloko explained that the attackers stormed the community on Sunday, March 14, morning between the hours of 6am and 7am when the people were preparing to go to church.
Abimaje said the attackers who were suspected to be Fulani herdsmen numbering over 100, entered the community with guns and gallons of petrol used in killing people and setting over 50 houses ablaze.
Giving the breakdown of casualties, Abimaje said five persons were killed in Aloko Ogane-Enigu, three in Elede community and two persons Ojuwo community.
Abimaje stated that the communities did not have any dispute with the herdsmen before the killing and destruction of property.
He appealed to Kogi State Government to take proactive measures in finding a lasting solution to the attack, adding that the Sunday attack was the second time the three communities were attacked by the herdsmen .
Also narrating his ordeals, Arome Atabor, a father of four said he relocated from Kano to Aloko Ogane-Enigu, his community six years ago to start farming in order to train his children but the attackers had unfortunately burnt of his house.
Atabor appealed to the State Government to provide the affected communities with adequate security and come to the aid of the members to enable them rebuild their houses and sources of livelihood destroyed by the attackers.
The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command Akeem Yusuf, who was also on the entourage of the governor along with heads of other security agencies in the state said mobile policemen had been drafted to the affected communities.
CP Yusuf assured that security agents would remain there until total peace is restored in the three communities adding that investigation into the matter had commenced with a view to apprehending the perpetrators.
