Mbiri Community in Ika North East Local Government Area has been thrown into chaos as suspected Fulani herdsmen allegedly killed two persons for resisting kidnap. The victims were identified as late Ikenna Ugbechei from Itamuzu quarters of Mbiri Community and Jude from Benue State.
The incident, it was learnt, occurred along the farm road in Idumu- Ikeze Quarters and Mbiri Farm Settlement Road at about 4pm on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. It was gathered from those who escaped the attack that the suspected herdsmen were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons.
This resulted in the angry indigenes invading the Hausa community settlement around the neighbouring Umunede community Tuesday night between 8 pm and 9 pm in a reprisal attack, setting the camps and some motorcycles ablaze.
Police Public Relations Officer of the State Command, Mr. Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident yesterday when he said that the killings were carried out by unknown hoodlums. “Unknown hoodlums attacked that community and about two people died. The community now suspected that it was the Hausa’s that attacked them. They then mobilized to the Hausa area setting the place ablaze, but we have been able to restore calm”, Edafe said. A source, however, disclosed that he had the information that the deceased was killed by suspected herdsmen. “Two people were killed yesterday (Tuesday) at Mbiri.
“One of them was going to check his cassava plantation when he met the suspected herdsmen who have been terrorizing the area for a long time.
“Along Mbiri farm settlement road, these men also killed somebody who was working as a labourer in the farm settlement.
“After they have killed the two men, youths mobilised to a place where the Hausa people are occupying along Umunede Road.
“They came and started destroying properties, burning about four motorcycles, and they extended their anger to the Hausa quarter, destroying properties. “It took the intervention of the police, army and vigilantes to bring the situation under normalcy.
Meanwhile, the suspected herdsmen succeeded in kidnapping an aged man working on his farm same day, and negotiation is ongoing for his release. An indigene of Mbiri Community who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that they refuse to be prey in their fatherland to Fulani Herdsmen kidnappers even as he called on other communities in Ika land to rise up and fight against the rising incidents of kidnapping.
“We cannot keep calm in our land for this evil to continue. Hausas in Ika land introduced cattle rearing which is done by Fulani herdsmen. Ika people have been their main target because we have never heard that Hausas are kidnap
“We therefore call on the Hausa Community in Ika nation to join hands with us to stop kidnapping.
“The worst is coming to our community to kidnap people from their houses. This cannot continue because Ika people rely on farm work for their survival. Let us rise up and fight for our land,” he said.
Source: Ika Weekly News
