Fulani herdsmen have reportedly occupied the vast farmlands of sacked Benue villagers with their animals having a field day.
File Photo
The Security Adviser to the Benue State Governor, Colonel Paul Hemba (retd.), has said that Fulani herdsmen that invaded Mbatoho community, a suburb of Makurdi on Monday have been feeding their cattle with the food crops left by the fleeing farmers.
The herdsmen invaded Mbatoho community and sacked the residents numbering about 5,000. No life was lost as the herdsmen only asked the residents to vacate their homes.
Hemba also told a Punch correspondent that the herdsmen had also been feeding themselves with the produce of the farmers.
The security adviser said he and other security men visited the affected community on Tuesday, saying the herdsmen took to their heels on sighting the security personnel.
“Yes, we visited the place yesterday (Tuesday) and we discovered that after sacking the village, the herdsmen settled down and were having a field day on the produce of the farmers.”
He told a correspondent that the team discovered that the herdsmen also set on fire some houses and barns.
“The herdsmen reserved most of the produce and were feeding themselves as well as their flock with yams and grains belonging to the displaced farmers,” he said, pointing out that the state government was working towards ensuring the return of residents of Mbatoho to their homes.