Suspected Fulani herdsmen have sent threat messages to residents in some communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State to vacate their ancestral homes or face serious attacks.
Some of the communities, Tse Ahentse, Iye, and Udei, were attacked on Tuesday and Thursday leading to the death of 13 persons.
Fulani herdsmen issued a threat
It was learned that the gunmen on Wednesday sent mercenaries and issued a threat to people living in Torkula Village in the same Guma LGA to vacate the community or face the consequences.
Torkula is the ancestral home of the late paramount ruler of Tiv nation, HRM Alfred Akawe Torkula.
Nathaniel Ikyur, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom, confirmed the threat in a statement while reacting to Thursday’s attack.
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He said: “Eyewitness account said the Fulani terrorists who had earlier issued a threat to the Tse Torkula community, asking them to leave the village, or face dire consequences; came on motorcycles and without any herd of cattle”.
“Torkula is the ancestral home of the late Tor Tiv IV, HRM Alfred Akawe Torkula,” he added.
In the recent past, Benue communities have been a target of Fulani herdsmen.
This has resulted in the displacement of the natives.
Consequently, many have become refugees in their own state.
many have become refugees in their own state
Governor Ortom had signed the anti-open grazing law. This did not go down well for the Fulani cattle rearers.
Similarly, other states, especially in the Southern part of the country, have promulgated the anti-open grazing law.
However, despite the measures to checkmate the crises between farmers and cattle rearers, incessant skirmishes have taken place with the attendant loss of human lives.
Nigerians have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the Fulani herdsmen as terrorists.
Security experts said Fulani herdsmen that carry sophisticated weapons are terrorists from outside the country.
