Suspected herdsmen allegedly kill 2 in Edo

Suspected herdsmen on Wednesday allegedly attacked and killed two indigenes of Owan Village, one Owoh aged 45 and Samuel Imonkhai in the sleepy community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo state.

Owoh, until his gruesome murder by suspected herders was a palm wine tapper. He was shot where he was tapping his palm, while the other victim, Imonkhai was brutally murdered in his farm by suspected herders.

In a Save Our Soul message to the Edo state government, residents of Owan, Agbanikaka, Uhiere, Odiguetie and Odighi communities all in Uhiere Ward of Ovia North East Local Government Area appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki and the security agencies to come to their rescue to end the incessant and unprovoked killings by suspected herdsmen in their communities.

Speaking, the Odionwere of Owan community, Pa Ifiabor Michael said the Owan communities have been under siege from suspected headsmen that have not only ravaged their farm lands, but have also embarked on a killing spree of inhabitants.

He said a conservative estimate shows that eight persons predominantly farmers have been killed across the various communities since the beginning of February.

“Just yesterday, two indigenes of Owan Village, a palm wine tapper, named Owoh, aged 45 was shot where he was tapping his palm while and another man named Samuel Imonkhai was brutally murdered by this same bandits,” he said.

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Another local resident who didn’t want his name in print said all efforts made by the inhabitants of the affected communities to draw government’s attention to their plight have not received any positive result.

He added that Owan community has become a flashpoint for herders as according to him, recently a policeman was killed while another policeman and several other indigenes of the community sustained various degrees of bullet wounds when they ran into an ambush mounted by the attackers.

Victims of the ambush, he disclosed were going to the bush to retrieve the corpse of a community member alleged to have been killed in his farm by herdsmen.

Several calls put across to the Edo state Police Command spokesman, Chidi Nwabuzor over the incident were unanswered.