by crossriverwatch admin
Information reaching CrossRiverWatch say a Fulani herdsman was yesterday killed by a farmer in Obanlikwu local government area of Cross River State.
The motive of the killing was not immediately clear as at press time. But CrossRiverWatch gathered that there has been protracted crisis between the natives and the Fulani herdsman over grazing land.
But a security source in the council told CrossRiverWatch that: “The motive of the killing is still unclear. The body of the deceased in already at the Sankwala General Hospital mortuary and efforts are being made to unravel the cause of this.”
The source was also not sure whether the killer had been apprehended while attempts to speak with the local government officials were also futile. The Vice Chairman of the local government told CrossRiverWatch that: “I heard something like that this morning. That was the only time I was informed. The Chairman is not around, he travelled and I am just being informed.”
When asked for the contact of the council information officer so he could be reached for information, she said: “I have even called the information officer and he is also not in the office yet. He said he is still on the way. Until I get to the office before I can ask for details of what happened and know what to say.”
But some Obanlikwu residents who spoke to CrossRiverWatch this morning on the development are worried that the killing may lead to the kind of herdsmen invasion and wanton killing that neighboring Benue state is presently facing from Fulanis.
“Cross River and Benue share a common boundary and we have seen several persons been displaced because of this Fulani versus natives crisis in an ongoing battle in Benue where even the governor’s village is not being spared. We are worried about what this may lead to because usually, it is we the women and children that suffer most.” Irene Achong, a nursing mother told CrossRiverWatch in obvious panic.
Ogar Adung, another worried respondent said “When I heard the news this morning I knew that trouble is looming. Not with what is happening now in Benue. The state government must move in quickly and see how to nip this in the bud. Fulanis do not forgive, not when one of their own is dead. We don’t want to sleep one night and invaders overrun our communities. The security agencies have to try very hard and follow precedence in other places and make sure this does not snowball into a full fledge crises.”
follow us on twitter @crossriverwatch