Tension in Imo as Fulani herdsmen kill farmer

By GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, Owerri

Palpable tension has enveloped Obudi Agwa community in Oguta council area of Imo State following marauding Fulani herdsmen attacking and killing an indigene of the community in his farm.

Sunday Sun learnt that deceased Elder Ozoemena Iriaka had gone to his farm in the morning hours when he saw Fulani herdsmen grazing their cattle on his farm and that he had confronted them.

It was further learnt that the deceased had tried to chase away the cows from his farm, an action which had angered the herdsmen, who attacked him with their machetes, inflicting deep cuts on the back of his head as he tried to escape from them.

Mr Declan Odime Okaru, an indigene of the community, revealed that Elder Ozoemena Iriaka was attacked and killed by Fulani herdsmen whom had challenged for grazing their cows on his farm earlier in the day.

He lamented that the herdsmen have been in the habit of grazing their cows on the farms of the community.

According to him, “Ozoemena Iriaka, who is one of the elders in this community, had gone to his farm and met the Fulani herdsmen grazing their cows on his farm, and when he tried to chase away the cows the herdsmen had attacked him and even when he tried to escape from the attack, they had chased after him and macheted him to death. The herdsmen inflicted a deep machete cut on the back of his head and even on his two hands and then ran away.

“But when we got the report, the youths mobilised and in the process, we caught up with one of the fleeing herdsmen who we handed over to the Oguta Police Ddivision because we had restrained the angry youths not to take the law into their own hands.”

He added: “Those herdsmen have been in the habit of grazing their cows on the farms of the people of this community and when the people challenge them they will attack you.”

When contacted for comment, the spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, Mr Orlando Ikokwu, asked that our reporter send him an SMS, but at the time of press time, he had not replied. (Sunday Sun)