No fewer than three persons were reportedly killed when hunters and herdsmen clashed in Benue......CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>.....CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Several others were reportedly injured during the clash, which happened at Okpomaju village in Okete Ward of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State on Monday.
It was gathered that the incident took place during a hunting expedition in the area, resulting in the death of one herdsman and two hunters from Otukpo.
According to reports, the ugly development occurred when armed herders who were said to be relatively new in Okpomaju community opened fire on sighting the hunters who were on a hunting expedition.
Unfortunately, two of the hunters were said to have died while several others sustained varied degrees of injuries.
In retaliation, the hunters were reported to have shot and killed one of the herders.
Consequently, fear was said to have enveloped the inhabitants of the community and environs for fear of reprisal from herders as they have fled the areas.
A farmer who simply identified himself as Oga Sunday told newsmen that he was chased from his farm by a herder who was armed with a gun and a machete, leaving his harvested yams and other farm produce at the mercy of grazing cattle.
One of the hunters in Okpomaju who did not want to be named said, “We were out on our usual hunting exercise on Monday when we encountered a hostile group of herdsmen who opened fire at us immediately they sighted us, causing fatal injuries on some of us.
“Expectedly, we fired back and felled 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.”
When contacted, the monarch of Otukpo, known as Och’Otukpo Odu, Chief John Eimonye, confirmed the incident but said that he and the leader of the herdsmen were planning to meet to find a solution to the crisis.
He dismissed the allegations within the local government that the herdsmen were displaying rascality because they had bought lands from the chiefs and locals in the area.
Also confirming the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Mr Maxwell Ogiri, said measures were being put in place to prevent a recurrence.
He said one of the measures was resolutions between the leaders of the herdsmen to fish out any erring herdsman planning to cause mayhem.
According to the chairman, “They promised to forge a harmonious relationship with the Otukpo people, saying that most of them were born and brought up in Otukpo.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of Benue State Command, CSP Catherine Anene, said she was yet to receive the report but promised to contact Otukpo Division to get the report and get back to our correspondent.
But as of the time of filing this report, she was yet to get back.