Residents of Akpachi village in Ugboju District and Otukpo-Nobi community, Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) are out in protest of last night’s attack on the communities by men suspected to be the armed wing of cattle owners.
Locals say ten lives were lost in the attack. TNT could not independently verify the claim.
The protesters who first blocked the Otukpo-Enugu Expressway have marched to the Och’Idoma Palace with some of the evacuated bodies.
The frustrated Otukpo Local Government Council (LGC) Chairman, Prince Maxwell Ogiri, lamented that the continued massacre of innocent men, women and children on their ancestral lands had become unbearable, stressing that the people of Otukpo and the entire Idoma Nation cannot continue to watch helplessly. At the same time, their communities are turned into killing fields.
Prince Ogiri expressed concern that the attacks are coming at a time when the government, traditional institutions, security agencies, and critical stakeholders are working tirelessly to restore lasting peace across the LGA, Mr Joshua Otene, his Chief Press Secretary, said in a statement.
According to the chairman, while genuine efforts are being made to foster peaceful coexistence, “agents of darkness” have continued to sabotage those efforts through mindless bloodshed.
Last week, unconfirmed sources alleged that there were planned attacks on farming communities by invaders.
The allegations came after the recent killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his associate, Yakubu Isah.
No statement has yet been issued by the police following the attacks and the protests.
