Herdsmen attack Delta community, one injured as residents seek security intervention

Tension grips Edjekota Community in Delta State, Nigeria, as suspected armed herdsmen launch a series of attacks, leaving residents fearful. The community's President-General, Pastor Oghenemakpo Uyo, reported that recent weeks have seen repeated assaults on the once-peaceful agrarian settlement.

“

I heard gunshots and immediately alerted the community security outfit to trace the source of the attack. On sighting the vigilantes, the attackers fled into the bush, abandoning a cutlass and a bag containing food items and ammunition.

The most recent incident occurred over the weekend when a man, identified as a father of a three-month-old baby, was attacked while returning home with food for his child. According to Uyo, the assailants, numbering three, demanded the man accompany them to an unknown location. When he refused, they attacked him with cutlasses and gunfire, inflicting multiple injuries. The victim, who is undergoing medical treatment, recounted that the attackers spoke Fulfulde and that gunshots were fired multiple times.

“

They asked me to follow them, but I refused. They started attacking me with cutlasses and shot at me several times. God saved my life.

Community vigilantes responded to the sound of gunshots, prompting the attackers to flee into the bush, leaving behind a cutlass, food items, and ammunition. Uyo also claimed that another group of suspected herdsmen later attempted to buy food in the community and were apprehended and handed over to the police in Ughelli, with weapons reportedly recovered.

“

I heard gunshots and immediately alerted the community security outfit to trace the source of the attack. On sighting the vigilantes, the attackers fled into the bush, abandoning a cutlass and a bag containing food items and ammunition.

Hon. Obakpororo Johnny, a former House of Representatives aspirant, has called on the Delta State and Federal Governments to bolster security in the area. He urged security agencies to implement proactive measures to avert further attacks and restore residents' confidence. The persistent violence has reportedly led many residents to abandon their farms and limit their movements. Personnel from Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited also narrowly escaped an ambush by suspected herdsmen in the region. Efforts to get a comment from the Delta State Police Command were unsuccessful.

“

They asked me to follow them, but I refused. They started attacking me with cutlasses and shot at me several times. God saved my life.