Gunmen believed to be Fulani militia have attacked and killed about 27 people in a community in Kogi State.
Reports have it that the assault took place on Friday morning in Agojeju-Odo, a village in Omala Local Government Council in Kogi East Senatorial District.
The armed attackers reportedly surrounded the community, shooting people and burning houses.
A community leader who narrowly escaped revealed that residents were caught off guard.
So far, 27 bodies have been found, and local vigilantes are searching for those missing in the surrounding area.
It has also been disclosed that rumours of an impending attack had circulated for three weeks, and the new Local Government Council Caretaker Chairman, Mark Edibo, had been informed.
Despite promises of safety by the local administration, the tragedy eventually took place.
The violence reportedly stemmed from a dispute between a local and a Fulani herder over damaged yam crops. Despite intervention from the caretaker chairman, violence could not be avoided.
“There was a misunderstanding between a young man in Agojeju-Odo with a Fulani herder on his farm after cattles ate up his yam tubers which resulted in a fight; the caretaker chairman intervened. “Since then, the herders vowed that they will mobilize and get back and there has been apprehension,” a source told Daily Post.
The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, confirmed the incident, stating that the Commissioner of Police had dispatched a tactical squad, including Mobile Police, Soldiers, and Vigilante men, to restore order.
The exact casualty count remains unknown. SP Aya has however promised to update once information is gathered from the Divisional Police Officer.
Gunmen activities have been increasing in Kogi State. In February, Chief Ojo Olayinka of Ohi-Ogidi in Ijumu Local Government Area was killed. In another incident the same month, suspected kidnappers abducted nine travelers along Kabba/Obajana/Lokoja Road, including a driver, two students, and six others.
