By Adeleye Kunle
Panic has gripped residents of Ethiope East and Egini communities in Delta State’s Udu Local Government Areas, who are fearful of an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
An Okada rider reported that two men dressed in regular shirts and trousers hired him for N20,000 to take them around church locations in Eku, Okpara Waterside, and several other communities in the area, adding that at the end, they pointed a gun at him to scare him away from demanding his money.
“After I had taken them around, when it came time to pay me, they showed me a gun,” he explained. Because I was afraid, I let them go without paying me. It was then that it occurred to me that they could be herdsmen.
“It didn’t occur to me when they asked me to show them around large churches in the area because they weren’t dressed like herdsmen.” “I assumed they were missionaries looking for church locations in the communities,” he explained.
Meanwhile, residents of the council have expressed concern about the increasing number of kidnappings on the Sapele-Agbor Road’s Eku-Abraka end, accusing herdsmen of being to blame.
According to Onoriode, a commercial bus driver who operates the Abraka-Warri end of the road, no week goes by without an incident of kidnapping.
“Because of the risk of Fulani herdsmen kidnapping on the road, commercial vehicles no longer travel from Abraka to Warri or Sapele after 5 p.m..”
“It’s so bad that there isn’t a weekend that goes by without a kidnapping incident on the road.” We’ve cried out, but nothing has changed.”
There was tension in Egini, Udu council, when rumors spread that Fulani herdsmen had written to the community about missing two cows.
However, Track News learned that the Fulani herdsmen only met with community leaders to inform them that two of their cows had gone missing, implying that they should produce them.
“In the community, we’ve been living in fear since we heard this,” one resident said.
Some churches in Agbarho, Ughelli North LGA, have begun locking their gates while services are taking place.
The people of the community have urged the state government to enforce the anti-open grazing law signed by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration, noting that the way herders were moving cows through residential areas for grazing was concerning.
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