Complain Of Herdsmen Killings In Delta State

Residents of Ossissa community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area, Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area and other flash-points in Delta State, where killing, kidnapping, armed robbery and maiming of villagers by suspected Hausa/Fulani herdsmen have escalated in the last few months are understandably angry at the security agencies for their apparent incapacity to checkmate the herdsmen.

The security agencies, especially the police, are not finding it easy, as the herdsmen have also been attacking and killing police officers, but not without consequences on their part, as police had gunned down and arrested a number of them in series of attacks and counter operations in the last few weeks. However, the herdsmen appear to be operating with impunity and unusual bravado.

But the people’s anger is not only against security agencies, they are correspondingly unhappy with the state government for its supposed failure to address the threat, which they insist is a basic responsibility of government to its people.

With the most recent unprovoked killing of five indigenes of Ossissa and other neighboring towns in the area by herdsmen, the governor of the state, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, May 15, went to Ossissa to sympathize with the people, but the youths of the community laid siege for him.

Villagers voice pains, anger    Since the unfortunate incident, tongues have been wagging on why the villagers decided to vent their anger on Governor Okowa. Recalling the ordeal of the villagers in the hands of the herdsmen at a meeting with the governor on May 15, the people did not betray the latter offensive by the youths.

They, indeed, spoke their minds, telling the governor that many natives had died in the herdsmen attacks. One of them, Hon. Joseph Kukaye, pointedly called on the government to take proactive steps to check the menace of the herdsmen, saying that it was no longer safe to go to their farms because of the rampaging herdsmen, a development that has led to famine and low economic activities in the community.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/05/herdsmen-killingsattack-governors-convoy-not-directed-okowa/