Following a fresh attack on Bagana town in Omalla local government area of Kogi State which led to the death of five people last week, the chairman of Omalla local government area, Hon Labaran Oyigebe, has called on Benue State government to call Agatu people to order in order to avoid conflict between the two communities.
The council chairman dropped this hint while speaking to journalists in Abejukolo, the headquarters of Omalla local government area of the state, saying that the information at his disposal posited that the Agatu people who were on the trail of Fulani herdsmen over the conflict in Benue, invaded the cow market in Bagana for a seemingly reprisal attack which led to the killing.
The council chairman said he was on the entourage of Governor Idris Wada to Bassa local government area on June 25, when the news of the latest invasion got to him, adding that by the time the dust settled down, 5 persons of Hausa, Kakanda Nupe and Fulani tribes were confirmed dead on June 25 last week as a result of the attack.
While calling on Benue state government to as a matter of urgency intervene and bring the hostility between the Fulani and Agatu people under control to avoid the spillover and unnecessary bloodshed, he said the council has picked up the medical bills of the injured, including the burial expenses of those who were killed during the invasion.
In the same vein, the District Head of Bagana community in Omalla, His Royal Highness, Aliyu Haruna, also stressed the need for a legislation in support of community policing.
“There is an urgent need for government to come to our aid. We are at the mercy of this people.
They always come in anytime and carry out attacks against us without any form of provocation”, he expressed.
