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Pandemonium
broke loose Tuesday, April 26, 2016 as residents of Obiaruku, the
administrative headquarters of Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta
State were thrown into confusion when heavily armed gunmen suspected to
be Fulani herdsmen stormed Okuzu, an agrarian community in the council
area of the state.
The people of Okuzu, a nearby community
to Obiaruku, were left scampering for safety as the gunmen raided the
community, leaving the people running, a development which led to an
overflow into Obiaruku, the major town in the council area.
Trouble was aid to have started when the
Fulani herdsmen attacked the people and started shooting sporadically
between the hours of 2: 00pm and 3: 00pm on Tuesday.
Mr. Emmanuel Agetue, from Obiaruku, who
spoke on phone, said, “It is true that Fulani Herdsmen invaded Okuzu.
When I went to see a friend of mine in Akuzu, I saw people running
helter skelter and there was confusion everywhere.
“The people were running everywhere and
there was pandemonium community. They first told us that the Fulani
Herdsmen were in the bush but later yesterday and today morning, they
struck again”.
He said the Fulani Herdsmen laid siege in the bush before entering the community where they started shooting sporadically.
Confirming the attack, the deputy
speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Friday Ossai Osanebi told
journalists that he received a call from someone who told him that
Fulani herdsmen had invaded the community.
According to him, “I have called the
chairman of the council but she has not picked my calls, maybe she is in
a crucial meeting”.
The Deputy Speaker, however, appealed to
the people not to attack the Herdsmen as it would be more dangerous for
the people, noting that the state government was doing everything to
curb their activities.
“It is better to ask them to leave your
land quietly than to fight back. The federal government is giving deaf
ears to the killing of our people. Please remain calm”, he said.
As at press time, it could not be
ascertained if there was any casualty as calls put across to the phone
of the police public relations officer (PPRO) of the Delta State Police
Command, DSP Celestina Kalu by our correspondent were not answered.
It would be recalled that cattle rearers
popularly known as Fulani Herdsmen whose activities have gone berserk
in the state, heavily armed with guns abducted a non-academic staff of
the Delta State University (DELSU) Abraka, Mr. John Ogeleke, on his way
to Ogume from Kwale. He is yet to be released.
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