2 killed, 4 injured as farmers-herders crisis escalates in FCT

The lingering conflict between herders and farmers in the Gurfata community of Ibwa ward, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT, escalated on Wednesday, claiming more lives.  Two vigilantes were reportedly killed and four herders sustained brutal injuries in the latest clash. Abuja Metro had previously reported that the crisis began on Tuesday when a farmer allegedly attacked […]

The lingering conflict between herders and farmers in the Gurfata community of Ibwa ward, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT, escalated on Wednesday, claiming more lives. 

Two vigilantes were reportedly killed and four herders sustained brutal injuries in the latest clash.

Abuja Metro had previously reported that the crisis began on Tuesday when a farmer allegedly attacked on his farm by herders, died in the hospital. 

In a reprisal attack, two herders were injured, and many of their huts at the camp were burned down by villagers. 

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The council chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, immediately mobilized security operatives to de-escalate the situation.

However, shortly after the official entourage left the community, another clash reportedly broke out. Vigilantes Musa Yatsu and Ezekiel Nuhu lost their lives, and four herders were injured, a source in the community said.

Alhaji Haruna Tatobwa Danladi, the village head of Gurfata Sabo, confirmed the latest clash to Abuja Metro by telephone on Thursday.

 He said the renewed violence erupted on Wednesday, hours after the burial of farmer Dahiru Yakubu, who was killed on Tuesday. 

According to Danladi, shortly after the burial, suspected herders allegedly mobilized to a farm and destroyed maize crops.

He said a farmer working on his land rushed back to the community to report the destruction. 

According to him, upon receiving the report, some villagers and vigilantes immediately mobilized to the farm, leading to another altercation with the herders.

“When the vigilante and some farmers arrived at the farm to assess the damages done to the maize farm, one of the herders, who was masked, opened fire and killed one of the vigilantes on the spot while another vigilante was hacked to death,” Danladi claimed. 

He added that joint security operatives and government officials had already departed the community when the incident occurred, adding that the remains of the two vigilantes had been buried.

But in contrast, Ahmed Dahiru, spokesperson for the FCT chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), offered a different account. 

Speaking to Abuja Metro on telephone on Thursday, Dahiru claimed that the clashes resumed after some villagers allegedly mobilized people, including vigilantes from neighboring villages, to the herders’ camp in an attempt to set the remaining houses ablaze.

He alleged that the vigilantes opened fire on some herders, leading to a serious altercation. 

“The farmers from the village mobilized the vigilantes and invaded the herders’ camp in an attempt to set the remaining houses of the herders ablaze. They, however, met stiff resistance from some herders guarding their houses,” he said. 

Dahiru confirmed that two vigilantes lost their lives while four herders sustained bullet injuries and were rushed to a private clinic in Gwagwalada.

Dahiru denied the alleged destruction of a maize farm by cows belonging to herders in the community. 

“If it is true that a maize farm was destroyed as claimed by the farmers, let security operatives go there to verify. There was nothing of such,” he asserted.

 

Wike urged to intervene

Meanwhile, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has been urged to intervene in the escalating crisis. 

Malam Sani Usman Zakariyya, a concerned citizen, made the appeal in a letter addressed to the minister, reacting to the renewed clashes in Gurfata. He highlighted that the violence, a persistent issue for years, has become more frequent in rural parts of the council, including Paiko, Ibwa, Dobi, and neighboring wards. Zakariyya described the situation as unbearable and called for urgent government intervention, specifically recommending the establishment of a peace committee to resolve the crisis.

The police in the area confirmed the renewed crisis but declined to provide further details. 

The spokesperson of the FCT police command, SP Josephine Adeh, could not be reached for comment on the incident.

 

Council chair summons emergency security meeting

The Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, on Thursday, convened an emergency security meeting in response to the recent crisis.

Abuja Metro reports that the meeting, held at the FCT teachers’ house in Gwagwalada, was attended by representatives of various security operatives, including traditional rulers, village/district heads, and Ardos of Fulanis, as well as the security adviser to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

During the meeting, Giri stated that its purpose was to find ways to resolve the crisis, which he noted has claimed lives and injured several individuals in the Gurfata community.

He expressed optimism that the outcome of the meeting would bring an end to the crisis and restore peace to the community.

The chairman urged all parties to embrace peace and harmonious relations.

He further directed security agencies to remain in the Gurfata community until normalcy is permanently achieved.

Also speaking, the Security Adviser to the FCT Minister emphasized the importance of collaboration and information sharing among security agencies.

 He instructed security agencies deployed to the community to submit situation reports to the council chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, who would then forward them to the Minister’s office for further action.

Our correspondent reports that all representatives of the security agencies declined to speak to the press at the conclusion of the meeting.