By Oluwakemi Kindness
Eight people have been killed in a violent farmers-herders clash in Gulma Town, Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, prompting a major security operation and the imposition of a curfew to prevent further bloodshed.
The Kebbi State Police Command on Tuesday said the violence erupted on Monday after a dispute over farmland allegedly escalated into a deadly confrontation.
Kebbi state police spokesperson, SP Bashir Usman, in a statenent says a herder identified as Yaron Buba Dogo allegedly allowed his cattle to stray into the farmland of Aminu Ala, destroying crops.
“The farmer was fatally stabbed in the neck during the ensuing confrontation,” the police says in the statement issued on Tuesday.
Usman the killing triggered a violent reprisal as an angry mob reportedly attacked the herder, killed him and set his body ablaze.
The mob then launched further attacks on members of the affected community. Despite efforts by security operatives to contain the violence, four more people were killed and their bodies burned beyond recognition.
Police said officers later recovered two additional corpses from a farmland outside Gulma Town, bringing the death toll to eight, one farmer and seven herders.
Amid the chaos, security personnel rescued five people, including a woman, who had become trapped during the violence and evacuated them to safety at the Argungu Police Station.
The command said it has deployed a joint security team to the area to restore order and prevent a fresh outbreak of violence.
Authorities have also imposed a curfew on Gulma Town and surrounding areas as part of measures to maintain peace.
According to the police, normalcy is gradually returning as security operatives intensify patrols and surveillance across the community.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar M. Hadejia, assured residents that those responsible for the killings would be identified and prosecuted.
He urged members of the public to remain calm, law-abiding and cooperate with security agencies as investigations continue.
Police said efforts are underway to apprehend all those involved in the deadly attacks.
