Suspected Fulani herdsmen, on Monday, killed two livestock guards in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State for seizing their cows.

A community leader in the area, Joseph Anawah, said the incident happened between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm at Tombo ward near Ayilamo in the local government area.

Anawah, who narrated the incident, explained that the livestock guards were on the trail of the herders, whose cattle were grazing and destroying crops, contrary to the anti-open grazing law of the state.

He stated,

Unfortunately, two of the livestock guards, who went to arrest the herders, were ambushed by the herdsmen. The herdsmen killed them.

Their corpses were handed over to the police in Ugba and later taken away and are now in the mortuary in Ugba.

The herdsmen, who committed the act, ran away and you know in that kind of situation, there is bound to be tension because the livestock guards were killed while on official duty.

Confirming the incident, the state Coordinator of the Livestock Guards, Linus Zaki, said the herdsmen attacked and killed two of his men near Ayilamo in the Logo LGA of the state.

He said his men, having received information that herders had brought in cattle and were openly grazing in Logo, moved to the location and met some young herders with cows destroying people’s farms.

The guards impounded the cows and were taking the animals and the herders with them according to the law when they were attacked by militia herdsmen, and two of the guards, Aondohemba and Gbaior, were shot dead on the spot by the herders,

Zaki added.

The Benue State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, confirmed the killing of two persons by suspected herdsmen in Logo, but added that she could not say whether the victims were members of the Livestock Guards.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.