BREAKING: Abuja On Fire, Many Feared Killed, injured As Herders’ Attack Residents
Not less than two people were reportedly killed on Wednesday following an attack by suspected herders on farmers in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Two people were killed,” a source told Naija News House.
Earlier on Wednesday, a resident of Gwagwalada Area Council raised the alarm over continued attacks on their communities by suspected herdsmen.
In an open letter, the resident, Sani Usman Zakariyya, said the violence, which has persisted over the years, had become more frequent in rural parts of the council, including Paiko, Ibwa, Dobi and neighbouring wards.
Zakariyya accused the authorities of neglecting their safety and allowing the attacks to go unchecked.
He said the situation had become unbearable and called for urgent government intervention.
He wrote, “Over the years as a resident of Gwagwalada Area Council—I have witnessed a series of inhumane activities from the Fulani herdsmen where the indigenous farmers were massacred on their own farms and even at home without no just cause in their own ancestral home.
“Gwagwalada Area Council has witnessed a surge in violent incidents from the herders—mainly in Paiko, Ibwa, Dobi and other wards in the council—prompting growing unease among its residents at the rural areas and nothing has changed to prevent the reckless killings of the original inhabitants that has ‘No other home except Gwagwalada’.
“It might interest you to also know that there have been several attacks and killings across FCT land, but the people are handicapped without any strength to voice out or to defend themselves as most of their leaders had been compromised politically, trading the safety and well-being of their land in favour of their own personal interests.”
He urged the government to act swiftly, saying, “I hereby urge the FCT Minister Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike – CON, GSSRS! The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call for a thorough and unbiased investigation into the regular attacks on the indigenous people of our dear council and prosecute without favour the culprits who are ceaselessly committed to perpetuating unrest in Gwagwalada Area Council and FCT at large.”
“The mayhem must not continue in the name of whatsoever—as people’s lives remain more valuable than any individual’s interest,” he added.
He appealed for more security presence in the affected communities and justice for victims of the attacks.
