Anti grazing law: Herdsmen launch more attack on Benue LG, destroy six communities

Barely 24 hours after the killing of a 40-year-old man, Ortse Kwaghdoo by herdsmen in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, another attack has been launched in the area thus leaving members of the communities in fear.

Suspected herdsmen in the early hours of Thursday, had  attacked some communities in Logo LGA of Benue State, killing one person, Ortse Kwaghdoo and  injuring a 70-year-old man, ,Hinger Akaa.

Speaking to Saturday Tribune on Friday, a community leader, Joseph Anawa who decried the recent attack stated  that massive destruction of crops and thatched houses by the herdsmen still continued till early hours of yesterday.

Anawa said six communities had been razed down completely namely; Tsegi, Tse Jibo, Tse Abiem, Tse Aku, Tyo Affiah and Tse Ajim.

According to him, “No killing has been reported aside that of Thursday, but many were matcheted  and left with various degrees of injuries.

“Many cattle were slaughtered while farm crops like; yam, rice, guinea corn, soya beans were  destroyed.

“The  villagers had once been attacked in the past which was the reason the community built thatched houses and these had been burnt down again.”

Anawa said there has been influx of herdsmen  in the council area while the number of  cattle still grazing there has also increased against the anti open grazing law.

According to him, ‘The anti grazing law is not effective in this area, because there is nobody to enforce the new law.  There are no security men on ground aside the usual ones and the vigilante members are handicapped because the herdsmen are armed with sophisticated weapons.”

The state Police  Public Relations  Officer, PPRO, ASP, Moses Yamu when contacted said he was not aware of another attack on communities in the local government area.

He explained that the killing of a man on Thursday morning at a fish pond in the council area was done while the herdsmen were moving out of the state.

“Unlike the previous attacks when the herdsmen would invade and attack communities, on Thursday the herdsmen were moving  out  of the state as a result of the anti grazing law and met the man fishing and killed him.”

He added that security men have been deployed to all the flash points within the state to beef up security.