A Fulani herder was on Monday night killed by rampaging youth of Gbagyi tribe in Azhi-Kasa community in the Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.
The killing of the herder followed the murder of two farmers in the community earlier on Monday by a Fulani taking his cattle for grazing.
After confronting him for bringing his cattle into their farms to eat their crops, the herder attacked the two farmers with a machete, inflicting grievous bodily harm on them until they died.
Apart from the Fulani man, who was killed in the reprisal by angry tribesmen of the slain farmers, several other persons were also injured during the violence on Monday night.
A resident of the area, Chimezie Emmanuel, told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that a lot of people had fled their homes as a result of the tension the violence created.
According to him, several trucks loaded with soldiers of the Nigerian Army were dispatched to the community on Monday to calm the situation but tension still persisted in the area.
“People are running away from their homes because of the violence. The Fulani have vowed to retaliate the killing of one of them. The Gbagyi youth have also vowed to chase them away from the community, this is causing serious tension.
“Despite the presence of soldiers and the police, the entire place is still tensed,” he said.
The spokesperson for the police in Niger State, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, while confirming the violence in the community when contacted by SaharaReporters, disclosed that policemen and other security agencies with vigilante members had been mobilised to beef up security in the area.
