Herdsmen invade Kaduna community, kill six

• Attack, a revenge, says group
• ‘Your village now a grazing reserve’

Suspected armed herdsmen have again invaded Godogodo community in Jema’a Local Council of Kaduna State, killing six farmers in the process.

Prior to the weekend’s attack, the community was also, a fortnight ago, sacked by herdsmen resulting in the death of 11 people and destruction of several houses.

Villagers, who spoke yesterday with newsmen, claimed the assailants said their settlement had become grazing reserves and wanted them to vacate immediately.

The police spokesman for the state command, Aliyu Usman, while confirming the incident and casualty figure, said some arrests had been made.

Usman, who noted that there was tension in the area, however assured that the police were fully in charge of the situation.

Chairman, state chapter of Miyetti Allah, Dr. Haruna Usman, while reacting to the incident, argued that the herdsmen were not “crazy like that as to just kill people.”

He claimed that they were avenging the alleged killing of one of their leaders sometimes ago in one of the villages.

An elder who did not want to be named said: “Godogodo is full to the brim with refugees who have fled their villages seeking for safety here because it is a bigger village, close to an expressway and has better security. There is no day that someone is not killed by Fulani men around here.

“After that, they would cut down all the crops for herd in their cattle to eat the growing crops. There will be hunger this year in these villages.

“What they are saying is that our villages are now cattle grazing reserves and they want everybody out.

“Last Saturday, these young men that were killed went out as a group to their farms. We were told that armed Fulani men had attacked them in their farms, and a few escaped, some with bullet wounds.

“On Sunday, we found them ridden with bullets and machete cuts and they were all dead.

“The police have taken their corpses to Kafanchan mortuary.”