22 feared dead in gunmen attack on Edo farming communities

No fewer than 23 persons were feared dead, with several others injured, in an attack on seven farming settlements in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo on Friday, Feb. 21.

The affected communities included Marindoti, Gbelemontin Domiju, Kola Village, Taiye Camp, Eto Camp, Dipe Community, Bala Dele Community, and Thousand Community.

It was gathered that the settlements were predominantly inhabited by farmers from various ethnic backgrounds, including Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Benin.

Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants, believed to be Ijaw militants from nearby creeks, stormed the settlements early in the morning, wielding firearms and other weapons.

The attackers unleashed terror by shooting indiscriminately, setting houses ablaze, and destroying property, including motorcycles and vehicles.
The onslaught forced residents to flee en masse, abandoning their homes and livelihoods.

One of the witnesses described the attacks as a reprisal for the killing of a suspected cocoa thief by local vigilantes employed by the farmers.

This incident escalated existing tensions between the farmers and the alleged militants, who had previously been accused of encroaching on farmland and stealing produce.

However, the police in Edo only confirmed seven killed and six injured, saying a preliminary investigation suggested a communal clash.

CSP Moses Yamu, Public Relations Officer of the command, in a statement on Sunday, said operatives of the Iguobazuwa Police Division, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and the vigilantes, had evacuated the casualties to the hospital, where the injured were currently receiving treatment.

“The joint operation is sustained as the situation has been brought under control and normalcy restored. However, investigation into the cause of the clash has equally commenced,” he said.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Betty Enekpen Isokpan Otimenyin, has vowed that no stone would be left unturned in order to unravel the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate and avoidable incident.

During a visit to the scene, it was observed that there was a mass exodus of displaced persons carrying their belongings, seeking refuge in safer areas.

Many homes were reduced to ashes, and the once-thriving farming communities now resembled ghost towns.

In an interview, a distraught resident and head of Marindoti community, Igbala Obazuaye, said they had been farming in the area for years, but trouble started for them when some youths began to demand royalties from them.

“It started in 1998 when some youths began encroaching on our land, stealing our crops, and kidnapping our people, notwithstanding the payment of the royalties,” he said.

Another resident, simply identified as Obazuaye, who sustained bullet wounds, said the assailants invaded the community around 8 a.m., killing seven persons in his community alone.

According to him, the assailants burnt cocoa, kola nuts, and cash worth more than N20 million.

He appealed for military protection, the establishment of a local police station, and assistance in rebuilding their communities.

Also, Nafisat Abdulazeez, a resident of Dipe community, described the experience as traumatic, calling for an immediate intervention of Gov. Monday Okpebholo.

She said that no fewer than 15 persons were killed in her Dipe community, while several others had gone missing.

“They came into our community, shooting and burning houses. They killed 15 people, and many more were injured. They even burnt my own house, and my family was forced to flee,” she said.

Lamenting the damage done to the agrarian communities, Joseph Otu refuted the claim that the attack was communal, saying it was an unprovoked attack by militants aiming to extort and terrorize peaceful farmers.

Otu also urged authorities to deploy security forces to safeguard the area, highlighting the communities’ significant contributions to the state’s economy through the cultivation of crops like cocoa, kola nuts, and plantains.

On his part, Usman Mukaila of Dipe community lauded the immediate deployment of men of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brig-Gen. Ebenezer Oduyebo, calling for the establishment of an Army base in the area.

“We commend the Commander of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin, for the immediate intervention and deployment of soldiers. That has helped to calm the situation for now. If not for him, the rest of the people would have gone. We also thank the governor,” he said.

“We, however, urge him to bring a permanent Army base to this area. We are crying, we really need his help. You can see all our women and children leaving.”