Three people were allegedly killed at Kwali village, Gwada, Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State, during a clash between herders and farmers.
According to reports, the event occurred on Thursday, causing tension between the two fighting factions in the area.
The uproar was reportedly caused by a disagreement between one farmer, Salihu Adamu, and a herdsman, Usman Sarki.
According to a source in the neighbourhood, the herdsman, Usman Sarki, attacked the farmer’s farm, Salihu Adamu, with his cows to graze at Kwali village, causing some crop damage and resulting in a severe fight between him and the farmer.
The herdsman, unhappy with the turn of events, assaulted the farmer with a matchet from behind when the farmer went back to work following their argument, according to the source.
“The attack resulted in the death of the farmer, and angered by the situation, his people mobilised and followed the herder to his settlement, where they lynched him along with one other person,” the source said.
DAILY POST learnt that the action of the farmers was immediately met with a reprisal attack from the herdsmen who invaded Kwali village and set all the houses there on fire, including food barns belonging to the people.
The Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the event in Minna, saying the command received information from the Gwada Division on Thursday about a fight between herders and farmers.
Abiodun, in a statement, disclosed: “Some persons were in the farm at Kwali village via Gwada, while one Usman Sarki reared his cattle into the farm and in the process of chasing the cattle out of the farm, the said Sarki inflicted a deep machete cut on the head of Salihu Adamu in the farm and he died on the spot. As a result of this, some persons from the village mobilised and burned the nearby Fulani camp and vice versa.”
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The police PRO further stated that the Gwada Division patrol team, led by the DPO and vigilante members, arrived at the area and restored normalcy.
He further stated that efforts are being made to apprehend fugitive individuals who are involved for culpable homicide and mischief by fire in the area.
