Residents of four wards namely, Yonov, Tomboe, Turan and Nenzev, in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, have fled their communities over the influx of Fulani herdsmen into the area.
Joseph Anawah, a community leader and former media aide to an ex-governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam, raised the alarm on Tuesday.
He said some communities in the four wards had been invaded by herders with more than 1,000 cows.
The invasion, according to Anawah, is posing a serious threat to neighbouring communities in the Buruku and Guma local government areas.
Anawah said the herders crossed the River Benue and settled at the Tse Azaye, Tse Agah, Tse Getim and Tse Iosun communities in the Tombo ward.
He added that the herders later migrated through Akwana in the neighbouring Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State and moved through Kurungu village to the Tombo ward from where they proceeded straight to Tse June in the Turan ward in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
He stated, “On February 20, 2022, around 8pm, herdsmen arrived at Tse Ikyegh in the Yonov council ward of the Logo LGA with over 1,000 cows and settled beside the Logo stream.
“They migrated from the Tombo council ward in Logo and proceeded straight to the Yonov community in the interior part of the Ugondo geopolitical axis after causing a lot of destruction to cassava farms and seed yams in the Tombo and Turan council wards.
“They are so hostile and do not want anybody to come close to them. The residents, on sighting the arrival of cows, started packing out of their villages for the fear of the unknown.
“When the kindred Head of the Mbaifu community, Gbamga Nengem, visited their settlement to know their mission in his community, they told him clearly that they had come for settlement and any attempt to evict them, either by the host community or government agencies, would invoke their anger and they would be left with no option but to resort to physical and open confrontation.”
Anawah called on the government and security operatives in the state to help beef up security in the Logo council area to avert a crisis.
When contacted, the Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Benue State chapter, Ibrahim Galma, who claimed to be in Abuja, asked for time to confirm the report and promised to call back.
But as of the time of filing this report, Galma had yet to call back as promised and refused to take further calls made to his mobile telephone.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Benson Abounu, said he had yet to receive a report from the Logo Local Government Area over the alleged influx of herdsmen and their cattle.
“I have yet to receive any report to that effect; I will try and find out tomorrow (today),” he stated.
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