Three persons have been reportedly killed with several others wounded following a reported clash between armed Fulani herdsmen and hunters at Okpomaju village in Okete Ward of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident was said to have occurred during a hunting expedition in the area on Monday this week.
Those killed include a herdsman and two hunters who hail from Otukpo LGA.
The armed herders who were said to be relatively new in Okpomaju community were said to have immediately opened fire on sighting the hunters, killing two of them while several others sustained several degrees of injury.
The development sparked fear among the inhabitants, causing residents to flee their communities, particularly women and their children.
In Ugboju District, also in Otukpo LGA, farmers in Akpachi, Oboh and their environs have abandoned their farms for fear of being killed by herdsmen who are intimidating them with gunshots.
One of the farmers, Oga Sunday, who spoke to reporters in tears said he was chased from his farm by a herder who was carrying a gun and a machete leaving his harvested yams and other farm produce at the mercy of grazing cattle.
However, according to one of the hunters in Okpomaju, “We were out on our usual hunting exercise on Monday when we encountered a hostile group of herdsmen of Fulani origin who opened fire at us immediately they sited us, causing fatal injuries on some of us.”
“Expectedly, we fired back and fell one of them while others started retreating.
“One of our colleagues who was hit in the belly was rushed to the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital Otukpo for medical attention,” he disclosed.
When contacted, the Och’Otukpo Odu, Chief John Eimonye, confirmed the incident and said he and the leader of the herdsmen were going to meet the following day to find a solution to the crisis.
He denied the allegation that the herdsmen were exhibiting brazen rascality because they had bought over lands from the chiefs and locals in the area.
The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Mr Maxwell Ogiri, also confirmed the incident, saying measures have been put in place to prevent a recurrence.
Ogiri said they have reached resolutions between the leaders of the herdsmen to fish out any erring herdsman with intent of causing mayhem.
“They promised to forge harmonious relationships with the Otukpo people because most of them were born and brought up in Otukpo.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, Benue State Command, CSP Catherine Anene said she had to call Otukpo to get the report.
