Fulani herdsmen
At least one policeman was confirmed killed in an unprovoked ambush laid by a gang of suspected armed Fulani herdsmen, on a company of police personnel in Abraka, Ethiope East council area of Delta state on Tuesday.
The incident, which occurred along the road around the stretch of Abraka farmlands, which have been forcefully occupied by the dreaded Fulani herdsmen, was one in a series of similar terror acts by the herdsmen around the area.
Just about two weeks ago, the decapitation of a youth, who had gone with his brothers to engage some killer Fulani herdsmen who held their mother hostage in the farming area, had led to a serious uprising that almost claimed the life of a traditional ruler in the area.
The Nation gathered that the policemen, driven in a van, were returning from the disputed Eku/Oria communities’ boundary when the killer herdsmen, who had reportedly blocked the road with cows, opened fire on the policemen, killing one of the passengers instantly and three others seriously injured.
Although official police confirmation put the fatality figure at just one persons, being the Police Inspector who died on the spot, other sources claimed that one more victim of the attack died on the way to the hospital on Tuesday, while the other two victims died yesterday morning at the hospital, bringing the casualty figure to four.
“The team in company of an executive member of the Umiaghwa-Abraka vigilante group, were on their way back to the police station after assessing the area demarcation between Eku and Oria communities, following a boundary dispute between a company operating in the area and the locals, when they were ambushed”, a source said.
When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the attack on the policemen, but clarified that only an inspector died as result of the incident.
“One died and that is the information available, but our prayer is that the others recover. They (the assailant herdsmen) laid an ambush and opened fire on the patrol team and it was so spontaneous, the sporadic shooting at them. The Inspector died and the others are in the hospital, three of them.
“Fingers are being pointed at the herdsmen; they said men suspected to be herdsmen. The suspected assailants just opened fire on them, that’s what we heard, that’s the information available and we are on their trail. We are counting on the cooperation of all to enable us get them. Let them even let us know why they have to fire on people who didn’t go chasing them”, he said.
