Herders shoot two farmers dead in Delta

• The two communities have been enveloped by tension and uncertainty amid the attack and counterattack.

A clutch of rampaging suspected herders have shot dead two farmers in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State.

The two farmers were killed in Mbiri community promoting irate youths of the community to mobilise and attack the herdsmen’s settlement in the Umunede community and razed it.

The two communities have been enveloped by tension and uncertainty amid the attack and counterattack.

The incident occurred along the farm road in Idumu-Ikeze Quarters and Mbiri farm settlement road.

Seething with rage, youths of Mbiri were said to have invaded the Hausa community settlement in community around 10 pm Tuesday in a reprisal, setting the camps and some motorcycles ablaze.

A source who spoke in confidence with newsmen said, “Herdsmen shot two farmers dead in our neighbouring Mbiri community and the people of Mbiri chased them to their settlement here in Umunede.

“One of them was going to check his cassava plantation when he met the suspected herdsmen who have been terrorising the area for a long time.

“Along the Mbiri farm settlement road, these men killed two persons working as labourers in the farm settlement.

“After they had killed the two men, youths mobilised to a place where the Hausa people were occupying along Umunede Road.

“They came and started destroying properties, burning about four motorcycles. As I speak now, we are all afraid of attack.

“That is what we have been facing here for over two years now. We are no longer going to farm over fear of being killed. No week goes by that these deadly herdsmen will not kill a farmer in any of the communities in Ika land.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the killing.

He said, “Yes, two persons were killed. Nobody knows who shot at them but the community claimed it was the Hausa people and they now went after them.

“As I speak now, calm has been restored in the two communities.”