RECENT FULANI ATTACKS IN NIGERIAN CLAIM LIVES AND PROPERTIES
A series of violent attacks last weekend in Nigeria has reportedly led to the deaths of about seven people, and the destruction of nearly 300 houses and the displacement of many.
Suspected Fulani militants attacked villages in Nigeria’s Miango district in the Plateau state during “unhindered and undistracted” attacks that began last Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to a statement released on Sunday by the Irigwe Development Association.
According to the statement, the violence resulted in around 100 acres of farmland being destroyed, at least 250 houses burned and mass displacement.
The attack is said to have occurred in a “predominantly Christian area” according to the United Kingdom-based aid agency Barnabas Fund.
Ezekiel Bini, the national president of the Irigwe Development Association, told This Day newspaper that assailants organized themselves into different groups that destroyed crops and looted households before setting properties on fire.
“Our people are in pains following yesterday’s attack by Fulani gunmen in some of our communities including Zanwrah, Kpachudu and Kpatenvien. What we have is a humanitarian crisis in Irigwe land,” Bini stated. “So far, we have counted seven people that were killed during the attacks and nine people who sustained gunshot injuries.”
“As we speak, 275 houses were burnt down and over 22,000 people displaced including women, children and the aged,” he added. “Some of the displaced persons are currently taking refuge in neighbouring communities in Miango district, while many others have relocated to Jos for safety.”
However, the state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Nura Muhammad, which advocates for the Fulani pastoralists, has denied the claims, blaming the continued violence in the region on Irigwe youth.
Source: The Christian Post
